From the Inside
by Arcawolf
Summary: Vanitas has been broken for much too long, and he's determined to be whole again. But when Ventus's light proves too weak to merge with, Vanitas finds himself without any options . . . until he saw her.
1. Introduction

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

**So, anyone who's been to my profile probably has noticed that I've put all stories on hiatus for university. However, I've come to the conclusion that I'll probably go nuts if I just give up writing completely. Anyways, long stories (ie. chapters are over 1K) are still on hiatus, but I'm starting up another 500 word/100 Theme Challenge to try and get back into the swing of writing.**

**Well that's the plan anyways. I don't know if I'll be able to stretch this out into 100 chapters.**

**Oh and don't worry: Those Who Fight Monsters is not on hiatus.**

* * *

**Introduction**

He couldn't stand it anymore. He was sick of it. Sick! He'd waited far too long to be denied anymore. Another day and he would scream!

Vanitas tore through the forest like an animal, leaving scraps of his bodysuits on protruding branches. He already lost most of the fabric on his arms and ankles, but he didn't care. He'd fix that later, once he was better, once he was _whole_.

He couldn't stand this anymore!

Sunlight. He stopped at the border between woods and plains, mouth dry as he huddled by a tree to hide. Where was Ventus? He knew Ventus lived here. Xehanort had brought him here, after the bastard had _separated them_. Vanitas didn't know why his Master had done that, but he didn't care. He was tired of being broken.

And there he was, there was Ventus! But no, nono_nonono_! He was with _them_, those other two. Why? Why were they with him? He needed Ventus alone!

In his current state of mind, it was so easy to call upon the unversed, to unleash a horde. The three keyblade apprentices reacted immediately. Vanitas bit his lip, dug his fingers into his skin, forced himself to think through the pain. To the apprentices, the attack was chaotic, but not so for him. He was working them away from each other, isolating Ventus from the rest.

Yes. There. Ventus was alone. Vanitas giddily teleported behind his other half, breathing in deeply, savouring the scent of pure light.

"Huh?" Ventus whirled around.

Vanitas grinned. He summoned Void Gear.

The moment before their keyblades met, Vanitas braced himself. How he had longed for this day, for the introduction of his darkness to his light again. Time seemed to lengthen, so that every second was now a minute. Just a little more –

Their keyblades met. A warm tremor worked its way up Vanitas' arm. Then disappeared.

There was nothing else.

Vanitas blinked. How . . . how could this be? Where was his light?

He charged at Ventus striking him again. And again. And again. Each time it was the same: a little spark, then nothing else. With that, Vanitas was forced to draw the horrible, real conclusion: Ventus was _weak_.

"No, no." Vanitas backed away. Ventus was _weak_? But if that was true, then he . . . he couldn't . . .

No. There must be a way.

He dismissed Void Gear, and beat Ventus with his hands. Ventus was so _weak_. Vanitas didn't understand it; how could Ventus be so pathetic? If Ventus was weak, they couldn't merge, couldn't be _one_ . . .

Light.

He moaned, and collapsed on top of Ventus.

Finally.

Then he realized something. The light hadn't come from Ventus, but from the destruction of an unversed.

He teleported to the spot it had perished. He wasn't alone there. There was another, a girl with blue hair. He watched her slay the rest of the unversed, her keyblade _overflowing_ with light.

Yes.

She would work.


	2. Love

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Love**

Aqua panted as she finished the last of the unversed. Her keyblade stabbed down into the dirt, serving as a crutch. Sweat dotted her face, making her clothes dark; a lonely bead of moisture traced its way down her temple.

And Vanitas watched her from behind, heart tapping out a frantic rhythm. Yes, she could work. He sniffed deeply, catching a whiff of the sharp, tangy scent of light. Yes, beautiful.

He wanted to touch her, to hold her and make sure she was real. He couldn't resist creeping up behind her, reaching out and stroking a lock of her hair. She went rigid at his touch, probably confused, probably assuming it was one of her friends; but before she could turn around and check, the hand stroking her hair changed to a hand around her neck.

She ripped away before he could squeeze, yanking her keyblade out of the ground. He was left there looking quite pathetic, arm out and hand cupping an invisible object. She stared at him warily, his masked face reflected in her eyes. And though she wielded the weapon and he kept his hidden, he approached fearlessly.

She swiped her keyblade through the air. "Who are you? What do you want?"

He had no mind for her questions, only her glinting keyblade. _Yes. Show me your power_.

She pointed the keyblade straight at him, to his delight. It was like she _wanted_ to become one with him. Happily, he grabbed the shaft, and an immediate surge of light coursed through it and into him.

Yes . . . yes . . . if he were capable of it, he would have fallen in love right there. This was beautiful, like the flowering grasslands that had just been rescued from winter's hold. Her light warmed him from the inside, bringing his blood to a kind simmer. It chipped away at the ice that had held him for so long and for the first time in years, he felt _right_.

She was perfect.

The unversed appeared immediately, teleporting away from Ventus and Terra to handle this matter. Her eyes widened; she glanced around. That moment of distraction, of hesitation, was all he needed. He swung, summoning his keyblade at the last possible instant, giving her no time to block. The blow sent her backwards into a mass of floods, which tried to pin her.

She didn't fall, to his surprise, but all he had to do was blast her with some darkness and down she went. The unversed piled on top, focusing on her limbs, leaving her chest clear. He straddled her easily, licking his lips as his mask burned away.

"Wh-what do you want?" Aqua demanded.

He smiled, summoning the darkness to his hand, and then placed it right on her heart.

Her light rose to meet him. He forced his darkness to bore deeper, through that barrier of skin as she screamed. Light and darkness met, equal in strength, equal in –

Yes.

It was done.


	3. Light

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney**

* * *

**Light**

How long was she unconscious, she couldn't say. But she must have been for some time, for the next thing she knew, the monsters and the masked stranger were gone and she was alone.

Light fell through the gaps in the forest canopy, warming her skin. It was a welcome warmth, because her entire body felt like it had been glazed with ice. Her chest ached, and her heart didn't seem to be pumping properly, as if an extra weight had been attached.

She sat up, picking up Rainfell, which still lay beside her. What had happened? Where had everyone gone? The attack itself had been random enough, but now they were all gone. What was the point?

Her limbs were slow to obey, but she stood, rubbing her eyes as she looked around. Terra and Ven were nowhere to be seen. Almost immediately, an alarm bell went off. Anything could have happened while she had been blacked out. For all she knew, the masked stranger went after them.

"Ven! Terra!" She pushed through the bush, searching for her friends. They could be hurt, lying unconscious on the forest floor just as she had been. Terra, she wasn't so worried about; he was just as skilled a fighter as her, if not more. No, it was Ven who earned the bulk of her worry; the boy was so inexperienced, so young. He was about as vicious as a puppy.

"Guys, where are you?"

"Aqua!"

Terra charged through the woods to the left of her, skidding to a stop. Panting, bent over, he wiped the sweat off his forehead. Just as she had expected, the eldest apprentice appeared unharmed, although his clothes were stained.

"Where's Ven?" she demanded.

"Inside talking to the Master," Terra said. "I've been looking for you for an hour or something. Where the heck were you?"

She quickly chose not to tell him the truth. No use in making him worry when she was perfectly fine. It was rather odd, she thought, that the masked stranger had just left her there. Why hadn't he killed her?

She sighed and rubbed her brow. None of this made sense.

"I was looking around for more of the monsters," she said evasively. "I guess we missed each other."

"Right." As gullible as Terra could be, she suspected he didn't buy that. Yet he didn't call her out on her lie.

"What were those things?" he asked. "I've never seen anything like them before."

"They don't look like heartless," she said. "Honestly, I have no idea."

He grunted. "I bet the Master knows. We should go ask him."

"Makes sense."

Terra, being an impatient teen, ran off through the woods without her. Of course, she knew her way home from here, but that wasn't the point.

Oh, well. It was just Terra being thoughtless, but that was just one of his many quirks.

She had just taken a step towards home when it hit her:

Terra hadn't mentioned a masked boy.


	4. Dark

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

**There seems to be some confusion over what exactly happened between Aqua and Vanitas in chapter 2 and why Vanitas isn't in control right now. Hopefully, this should answer some questions.**

* * *

**Dark**

It seemed no different from usual, his heart. Emptiness surrounded the glass platform, the air so thick and dark he couldn't see what was etched upon it. A flood sat on his shoulder, twitchy and nervous, hissing as it wound round his neck like a scarf.

Vanitas exhaled. His boots squeaked as they rubbed against the glass.

Then, light. It sprouted from the center of the platform, shooting upwards like an erupting geyser. From there, it poured outwards, colour following in its wake, washing over the glass and leaving it shades of blue. Her image was there, of course – this had been originally her heart – holding her trusty keyblade. Vanitas leaned down, touched the glass, and an electric jolt went up his arm as her heart readily relayed the information to him.

_Rainfell_, it told him, naming her keyblade.

He smirked, looked around, and then broke into a true smile. He . . . he had done it. Though this was still primarily the girl's heart and reflected thusly, there were abnormal splotches of red and black at the edges – his essence seeping in. To anyone visiting this place, it would have been obvious something wasn't quite right, but he wasn't concerned; she wouldn't come here. No, she was too busy managing the outside world. She wouldn't sense anything until it was too late.

His lips curled into a smirk once more. Right now, she was in charge, but in time, that control would pass down to him. It was only logical. He was sure that his will was stronger than hers, not to mention he was the only one of the two that even realized a battle was taking place. But he wasn't in control now, couldn't be. As perfect as she had been to merge with, she still wasn't _him_. She wasn't his other half. Her heart had been complete before Vanitas had come along, and it would take some time for it to adjust to the extra weight. But in time, he'd squeeze his way in there, sear his being into her own. Then, he would live again.

But for now, there was this: the deep breath before the plunge. He stretched his arms out, breath hitching as the intoxicating flood of balanced light and darkness leached into his soul. Perfect.

_Mine_, he thought, a shudder running up his spine. _All mine_.

He summoned Void Gear, twirled it in his hands, then stabbed it into the station. Dropping to his hands and knees, he began to carve. The glass squealed with each line he sliced. Little bits of crumbs of glass gathered at his writing's edge.

He made his last mark, and leaned back to admire his work. There, in the Station of Awakening, he had made his claim. The word he had written was simple, but said enough:

_Vanitas._

He closed his eyes. Finally, he was complete. Now, he might merely be a tagalong, but in time, he would be the master, and she, the intruder.


	5. Seeking Solace

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney**

* * *

**Seeking Solace**

When she entered the castle, it was to be treated to a familiar scene of Ven hugging Terra. Both of them looked up at her arrival, Terra seeming pleased to have an excuse to escape Ven.

"About time," Terra said. He carefully pried away Ven's arms.

Ven asked, "Are you guys okay?"

He peered up at Terra with big blue eyes, so wide that from her angle, Aqua could see Terra's face reflected within.

"We're fine," Terra said, ruffling Ven's hair.

Ven glanced at her, and she obediently nodded.

She was next to be wrapped in that vice-like hug. That was one of the things about Ven. Whether he was worried, seeking solace or just happy to see them, he already greeted the two of them in the exact same way. Not that she minded. It was pretty adorable.

The hug tightened a degree, squishing her ribs, and she suddenly winced. Being as close to her as he was, Ven couldn't but notice and immediately backed off, staring at her with suspicion.

She rubbed her chest. "Just a bruise," she told him.

Ven bit his lip, looking to Terra for a lead. But Terra was unconcerned, easily taking her words to be the truth, and so Ven relaxed, too.

She swallowed back a frown. It wasn't like she had lied to him; it really couldn't be more than a bruise. Still, it felt . . . odd. It was a deep pain inside her chest, _internal_. Which made absolutely no sense since bruises generally appeared on the outside.

But there had been that incident with the stranger, right?

She shuddered. She didn't want to think about that, nor did she really understand what had happened. The stranger had appeared out of nowhere, attacked her and then . . . disappeared? She didn't even have anything to prove her encounter with him, save for this pain that could easily have come from something else.

She brushed the matter out of her mind, turning towards her friends. "So, should we celebrate?"

The fox-like grin on Terra's face told her that, had Ven not been here, he would have run with the innuendo in that sentence. As it was, however, Terra remained silent as Ven said, "Does this mean an ice-cream break?"

She ruffled his hair. "Yes, Ven."

Ven pumped his fist. "Yes! Ice-cream!"

He went in for another hug, as per his nature, catching her by surprise. And she immediately shoved him away, sending the small boy flying into Terra.

They looked at her. "Aqua?"

"Sorry," she said, "I told you, I have a few bruises . . . Now, about that ice-cream?"

Terra continued to stare, but Ven quickly forgot the incident and took off towards the kitchen. She smiled at Terra as she followed, letting the older boy know it was okay.

She told herself that, too.

She ignored the feeling of dread.

She ignored the fact that, when Ven touched her, she had felt something suspiciously close to rage.


	6. Breaking Away

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Breaking Away**

"Ha! My sundae is waaay better than yours!"

Ven beamed as he spoke, delicately placing a cherry onto the very peak of his ice cream mound. The castle didn't possess much in the way of sweets, so that was almost as fancy as he could get. Aqua had, however, melted a bar of chocolate for them, so Ven's ice cream also had a nice coating of that.

Pulling his spoon out of his mouth, having already scarfed half of his sundae down, Terra rolled his eyes and said, "It doesn't matter how nice it looks. What matters is how it tastes."

Ven considered that. Then he leaned over and took a great spoonful of Terra's ice cream, slurping it up before the older boy had a chance to protest. Frowning thoughtfully, Ven then ate some of his own.

"Mine's still better," he announced.

Terra pouted.

The kitchen's door creaked open. In the threshold stood Master Eraqus, staring at his three apprentices with a blank expression. He locked eyes with her then, and she nodded before breaking away from the other two, leaving to follow her Master. The door clicked shut behind her, and Aqua suddenly had the sense of being a mouse cornered by a cat.

"Aqua," the Master said, "what happened?"

"We were attacked by these strange creatures," she told him. "I'm not sure why, or even what they were. Master, they didn't seem like heartless."

His eyes darkened. "And where are they now?"

"I don't know. When I woke up, they were gone . . ."

"When you woke up?"

Oh. Yes. She had forgotten that part of the story. Clearing her throat, she continued, "It wasn't just a group of monsters. There was a person attacking us, too. Whoever it was, they wore a mask and didn't speak. They were the one who knocked me out."

"And this stranger, they have vanished also?"

She nodded.

There was a minute tightening of the muscles on his face. "I suspect this is not the end. Whoever this person is . . . they came for a reason." He paused there, as If waiting for her to answer his speculations, but then spoke again. "As we stand though, there is not much we can do except try to discern what these beings are. Master Xehanort might –"

She flinched. Violently. Master Eraqus stared at her.

"Aqua, is something wrong?" he asked.

She blinked. "No," she said. "I'm fine. Sorry, Master."

Eraqus nodded, still staring at her strangely. "You three stay close," he said. "I don't want any of you to be caught alone by these creatures."

"Of course, Master."

He said nothing else, so Aqua took that as her cue to leave. But just when she was about to open the door, the Master's hand grabbed her shoulder and stopped her short.

"Aqua . . ." His eyes roved her face, searching for something. "Is everything alright?"

"Of course."

She walked away, still able to feel his gaze on her.


	7. Heaven

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Heaven**

The three of them were sprawled out on a hillside, underneath the twinkling sky. The moon was high tonight, a perfect glowing crescent amidst the dark. Side by side, the three on their backs, they stared up at it, the light reflected within their eyes.

"You ever wonder what's out there?" Ven asked.

Arms crossed behind his head, Terra stirred. Being his usual thoughtless self, he answered Ven's query with, "Not really. I mean I'll get to see it all someday or another."

Ven frowned. He sat up suddenly, plucking a few blades of grass from the ground beside him. "Master never lets me go with you guys," he grumbled.

Aqua sighed. That was often a sore point for Ven, not that she could blame him, since she couldn't imagine sitting at home, twiddling her thumbs, while her friends went on epic journeys. Though he tried hard to hide it, she always saw the longing on the younger apprentice's face when she and Terra told him about their adventures. The day he was allowed to hop worlds with them, she knew that, to Ven, it would be the day he finally reached heaven.

"You're still a little young, Ven," she said, knowing perfectly well that wasn't true. "You'll be journeying with us before long."

He smiled an almost sad smile. "I hope so."

Terra made a choked sound, and she and Ven looked in time to see a shooting star streak through the sky. For an instant, she caught Terra's eye, and then her eyelids closed, a wish automatically coming to mind.

_I wish . . . I wish things could always be like this_.

Her eyes snapped open. Oh. She'd almost forgotten. While Terra and Ven were still making their wish, she rummaged in her pockets, grinning as she found the objects of her desire. The handcrafted charms, _Wayfinders_, sat in her hand, and the few seconds that it took for her friends to open their eyes again felt like an eternity.

"I made these for us," she said. "Good luck charms!"

"Awesome!" Ven took his, preening like a peacock with full plumage. Terra was more subdued. He glanced at her, waiting for the story behind it.

So she told it. "Legends say that somewhere, there's this tree with star-shaped fruit . . . and the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. So as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can ever drive you apart."

She said the last bit in a whisper, as if it were a sacred vow.

"An unbreakable connection," Terra repeated.

She nodded. "Yes."

He smiled back at her, punched her playfully in the shoulder –

And something inside her snapped.

Air rushed out of her lungs too quickly for her to scream. Her heart . . . it felt like her ribs had collapsed upon it, like a falling building crushing a bug. Her nails dug deep into Terra's arms, drawing blood as she gasped his name-

Darkness.


	8. Innocence

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Innocence**

He woke suddenly, like a sleeper from a nightmare. Gasping like a drowning man, Vanitas sat up, drenched in sweat, heart pounding in his ears.

What was going on? Everything looked the same to him. Still the same glassy platform with the same blue-haired girl and just a bare trace of his presence. He was still balanced, whole. What had startled him so?

He stood and turned in a complete circle, studying every inch of his surroundings. It all looked the same to him. So why . . .?

Something like a breeze brushed past him. Only this was no natural wind; it was not made of air, but energy. Light.

His heart stopped.

The light . . . it was _leaving_.

"No!" He grasped desperately at the drifting energy, feeling its slip between his fingers. Locking onto one particular coil, he chased it to the edge of the platform, nearly tumbling off its side. Wild-eyed, he sensed the coil as it flew off into the darkness and disappeared.

It was leaving . . . the light, it was leaving him. Soon it would be just him and his darkness, all alone and-

But wait. That wasn't right.

The heart was still balanced.

He frowned, letting his mind expand and sample the flavour of this heart. Although light was definitely leaving, it was entering as well, and being regenerated. There was no net movement of light; everything remained in balance.

He sighed in relief. Okay, crisis averted. But where was it going? He shut his eyes, touched the glass floor, let his being pervade it so he could detect exactly where those wandering coils were headed . . .

_Him_.

He snarled. _Ventus_. And not just him, but the older boy, too, and even _their Master_. He could feel them now, the iron cords that bound the girl's heart to the others. And they were sapping her light through it. Light followed through the connection like trains on a track, visiting each station briefly before setting off again. It all balanced out, though – for now. What if something changed someday and altered the balance? What if Ventus, in his innocence and stupidity, somehow alerted Aqua's heart to Vanitas's presence before he had a chance to grow roots? What would happen to him?

He swallowed thickly. He didn't know, nor was he keen on finding out. This heart, it was _his_ now. He had absolutely no plans to give it up.

"Mine," he hissed. Void Gear came to him, vibrating angrily. He walked up to where the picture of Ventus sat and glowered at it.

_Screech!_

He grinned at the fine white line through Ventus's face. Then, he slashed Ventus's face again, and again, feeling a dark pleasure.

This heart, it was his, and he had no intentions of sharing. This light that flowed between them all . . . he would _end _it. He'd break their connection to this heart, somehow.

Even if he had to tear them out himself.

* * *

**This won't be stated in-universe, so I'll state it here: Aqua's fainting spell last chapter was caused by Vanitas's freak-out in this chapter, which in turn was caused by the magic of the Wayfinders. And now you know!**


	9. Drive

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Drive**

Terra paced. Close-by, Ven was hunched over in a chair, helplessly studying the prone figure of their best friend. Since she had first collapsed, Aqua hadn't uttered a sound. It hurt to see, to know that he couldn't do anything and so, here Terra was, pacing the room.

He dragged a hand through his hair. What had happened? He'd just touched her and she'd fainted . . . He'd punched her no harder than he usually would. It was nothing compared to how they sparred. Still, he couldn't help but think that this was his fault.

A sigh drew his attention. It wasn't just him and Ven in the room, but their Master, too. He had a hand against Aqua's brow, measuring her temperature in search for some illness. With a frown, the Master shook his head, and Ven sunk even further into himself.

"Terra, tell me again what happened," the Master said for the third time.

"I touched her and she just collapsed," Terra replied monotonously.

"That is all?"

"That's all."

Master Eraqus said nothing and turned back to Aqua. He pulled the covers up so that they covered her shoulders, just, it seemed, so he could do _something_. Then he turned to his two apprentices, and asked, "Did Aqua say anything about the masked stranger?"

"A whom?" Terra said.

Ven said, "You mean the one with the weird bodysuit?"

"Yes," Eraqus said, "that one."

"Wait, what stranger?" Terra demanded.

Ven looked away, like an abashed dog. "I thought Aqua told you. There was a stranger too, with this black and red bodysuit and a mask. It was kind of more like a helmet. Really shiny."

A stranger? Terra clenched his fists. The stranger must have been the figure behind those monsters' attack – he was sure of it! And now Aqua was lying here unconscious . . . maybe that was the stranger's fault, too!

"I only saw monsters," Terra said. "I didn't see anyone."

"Be glad you didn't," Ven said darkly. "He was really strong."

"He _attacked _you?"

"Enough, Terra," Eraqus said. "We will discuss this later. But next time, Ventus, I expect you to inform your friends of these matters. Now, if I recall, Ventus, you have a name."

"You have a name?" Terra's lip curled into a snarl. "_Good_."

Ven said, "His name's Vanitas."

Terra was about to ask what kind of wimp would have a name like that, when they heard a groan. Immediately, all attention the stranger was forgotten in favour of a stirring Aqua.

"Aqua!"

The Master was there first. "Are you alright?"

She was silent for a moment. "Fine."

Terra blinked. "Are you . . .?"

"I'm fine," she said, nearly snapping. "Could you let me rest? You're going to drive me crazy."

He and Ven backed away. "Uh, sure. Sorry."

Aqua rolled over, turning their back to them. Eraqus awkwardly said, "Terra, Ventus, come. Let her rest."

They left, Terra casting a backwards glance at her.

Aqua didn't meet his eyes.


	10. Breathe Again

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Breathe Again**

Though Aqua had asked for peace, that had almost been two hours ago. Thus, Terra crept into her room with only the slightest tinge of guilt. Aqua was sitting on her bed, staring blankly at the wall, failing to stir even when her door clicked shut.

He lingered there, in front of the closed door. With Aqua either not noticing him or ignoring him, the situation was pretty awkward, but there was something else as well. It just felt . . . odd. Like he had interrupted her in the middle of something.

He cleared his throat. A beat passed before Aqua's head slowly turned, her cool eyes settling on his form. She inclined her head in what he took as a silent permit to approach, and approach he did.

"You okay?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Fine," she said. "A little tired."

"Tired? That's weird." The bed creaked as he sat next to her. "I mean you were nearly unconscious for an hour."

The corner of her lips dipped. "Yes . . . I was."

The tone she used, it wasn't one he could decipher, so he asked again, "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," she said. "I'm awake now, I can breathe again . . . I'm fine."

He nodded, unsure whether to believe her. "So . . . let's talk about this stranger you and Ven saw."

Some weird expression fell over her face, like she was struggling to wake from a hazy sleep. "Ven saw him, too?"

"Got a name and everything," Terra confirmed. "Vanitas ring a bell?"

"I-"

She stopped short and froze. Completely froze. He thought that she might have even stopped breathing. But before she started turning blue, she blinked and shook her head, as if trying to clear a buzzing in her ears. Her eyes, when she looked again at him, were noticeably different. Calmer.

Or maybe colder.

"Can we not talk about this?" she suddenly asked.

_What? _"Aqua, this guy attacked you," he spoke slowly, as if explaining to a toddler why he couldn't drive a car. "He's probably connected to those monsters."

"I know, it's just . . ." Her mouth worked a little as she struggled to voice her thoughts. "I just don't want to discuss this."

"You . . ." A sudden thought hit him. "Aqua, did he . . . did he threaten you?"

"Is it really so hard to believe I just don't want to talk about this?"

"Yes," he said bluntly. "So, again, let's talk about Vanitas."

"I don't want . . ."

"Aqua, you-"

"Just _back off!_"

He jumped, startled. In fact, he was so startled that he actually got to his feet. Aqua had just snapped at him. _Aqua_. She _never_ did that, especially over something so trivial. Currently, the female keyblader was glaring at him, seemingly unconcerned by just how plain weird her behaviour was.

He backed towards the door. "Maybe later, when you're feeling better."

Once again, she didn't watch him leave.


	11. Insanity

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

**Terra vs. Aqua, round two!**

* * *

**Insanity**

"Ready to talk yet?"

Aqua stiffened. Her shoulders tensed, like a bird about to flap its wings. The whisk she was using smacked against the side of the bowl with a sharp _clink_.

Terra sighed. "Are you really playing the silent game with me?"

She said nothing, but continued to mix her batter, irritation expressed in her swift movements.

He walked over to the table, pushing aside a half-eaten plate –probably belonging to Ven – and found himself a comfortable seat. The chair creaked as he leaned back dangerously, and he waited to see if Aqua would scold him.

She did not.

"Aqua, seriously?" he said. "We were just attacked by a complete stranger and a bunch of monsters. I don't understand why you don't want to talk about this. It's practically insanity not to!"

She hesitated, as if wondering herself. "I just don't want to."

"Aqua . . ." He stood and gripped her shoulder, squeezing comfortingly.

Quietly, she said, "It doesn't feel right."

He didn't know what to say, and Aqua went back to her baking. Wordlessly, she turned from him with the excuse of grabbing some eggs, but the sight of her back made her message clear enough. From behind, he stared at her intensely. Aqua was . . . worrying him. No matter her insistence otherwise, he was quite sure that the stranger had threatened her.

Or hurt her.

"Hey, no one else needs to know," he lied. Once he figured out what was going on, he was going to the Master. "Look, whatever happened, you can tell me."

She gave him an exasperated stare. "There's nothing to talk about."

"We both know that's a lie."

Silence.

"What do you want me to say?" she demanded. "Terra, nothing happened. I'm fine, we're fine, I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of this!"

"I don't know why you're being so defensive," he countered. "Aqua, just talk to me."

She chose to ignore him again, instead measuring out some flour. He drummed his fingers on the tabletop impatiently, his heart seeming to pump a liquid form of frustration rather than blood.

"Okay, that's enough!" He grabbed the bowl with the batter and held it high out of her reach. "Start talking!"

"Terra!"

"I'm serious, Aqua. I want answers. Now."

She spluttered, at a loss for words. Then she got angry.

"I don't have to tell you anything!" she spat.

"You do when this involves someone attacking us!" His arm started to ache, so he slammed the bowl down. "This isn't just about you, Aqua. This is about all of us!"

"Then go figure things out yourself," she said snidely. "I'm not your keeper."

"Look, you tell me what's going on, or –"

"Or else what?" She thundered. She shoved him in the chest. "Tell me, why should I –"

She stopped suddenly, eyes wide. Then, she bolted, leaving her baking unfinished. Terra was left there alone.

He blinked.

What in the worlds had just happened?


	12. Misfortune

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

**Yes, I know. I haven't updated in two days. Sorry?**

* * *

**Misfortune**

Ven tiptoed down the hallway, pausing in front of Aqua's door and laying his ear against it. Nothing. Of course, that could easily mean she was just being quiet.

He shifted nervously, glancing behind him as if he was doing something wrong. He wasn't really sure what was up with Terra and Aqua, but they seemed really mad at each other. Ven had happened to have the misfortune of wandering by just when Aqua had stormed out of an argument with Terra, leaving the older boy flabbergasted. When Ven asked, Terra couldn't explain much, save that he had been trying to get Aqua to talk about the stranger.

Which was when Terra had gotten a _brilliant_ idea:

Why didn't Ven go talk to her?

So, here he was, hesitating at the doorway like a knight about to walk into a dragon's cave. He balled his fists, gathering his courage, then knocked shyly on the door. For a moment, no one spoke, and then Aqua told him to come in.

"Uh, hi?" he said.

Aqua was sitting at her desk, reading what looked to be a very completed book on spells. "Hey, Ven," she said easily, no trace of her earlier anger present. "What's up?"

"I . . . Uh . . ." He rubbed the back of his neck, searching for words.

Suddenly, she frowned. "Terra sent you, didn't he?"

"Please don't kill me!" Ven squeaked.

She sighed. The book shut and she walked over to him, ruffling his hair. "I'm not mad at you, Ven. If anything, I'm mad at Terra for getting you involved."

"He's just worried about you," Ven said.

"I know . . . but he shouldn't be."

Just when Aqua was about to turn away, Ven said, "I saw the stranger, too."

She blinked. "You did?"

Suddenly, she was all over him, holding his face, twisting it this way and that as she scanned him for injuries. "Ven, why didn't you tell me earlier?" she scolded. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Ven gently pushed her hand away. "I'm fine. Nothing the Master couldn't take care of."

She nodded breathlessly. "Good," she said, "good."

He studied her, her worry and restlessness, and saw his opening. "You seem pretty worked up over this," he said. "Did . . . did he hurt you?"

"No," she said. "He just knocked me out, and then he was gone . . ."

She stared off into space. Ven wondered if she was regretting telling him what she had been keeping from Terra.

"That's it?" Ven said, feeling like there was still more to the story. "You're lucky he didn't do anything else."

She said nothing.

"Aqua, I know his name."

She slowly looked at him. "You . . . do?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "Vanitas."

"Vanitas." She said the word carefully, rolling it around her tongue like a sweet.

"Sounds like a real creep to me!" Ven said.

She looked at him intensely with an unreadable expression. "Yes, he does."


	13. Smile

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Smile**

_Okay. Time to man up. She won't eat you. The most she'll do is yell at you a little more, and then burn your dinner._

Though Terra told himself this over and over, the butterflies in his stomach weren't going away. It had taken him nearly a half hour of careful stalking before Aqua had settled down somewhere, the library being her choice this time. Now, Terra was right outside the room and all he had to do was march in . . .

But he didn't, because he was nervous. It had been a long time since Aqua and he had gotten into a real fight, and he didn't entirely remember what he was supposed to do now. Ven said she seemed to be in a good mood, but that was Ven, and Aqua wasn't mad at Ven.

He sulked. _This is pathetic. My job is to fight freaking monsters!_

Still, he wouldn't deny that oftentimes, Aqua was much more intimidating then the monsters they faced.

After sucking in a huge breath, he crossed into the library, boldly at the same table where Aqua was currently reading. A second passed. Then she slowly peered over her book at him.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," she said back, sounding confused.

She offered nothing else, and he was still a little too nervous to speak, so she happily went back to her book. He let the silence linger a little longer, before the urge to break it became overwhelming.

"About what we were talking about earlier . . ." he began.

She interrupted him. "Terra, don't."

He said, "I was going to apologize."

"You were?" Her tone indicated that she was waiting for an explanation, but when he stayed silent, she kept talking. "You really don't need to. Honestly, looking back on it, I'm not sure why I was freaking out so much."

"Still, I shouldn't have pushed you," he said. "So, apology accepted?"

She smiled. "Of course."

She returned to her book and Terra, bored and suddenly restless, stood and went around to her back. Crossing his arms on top of the headrest of Aqua's chair, he skimmed the pages she was reading, picking up something to do with magical theory.

"So, what are you reading about?" he asked.

"The spell I used for the Wayfinders," she said. "I'm trying to figure out why I fainted."

He winced. Oh, right. Seeing that Aqua had passed out so rapidly before, she might not have known what happened. "I think that was my fault. I hit you and . . ."

"Terra, relax. That wasn't the reason. Ven hits me harder during training than you did," she said. "It couldn't have been that."

He shrugged helplessly. "So, have any ideas, then?"

"Well, it's possible that the spell was simply a lot more powerful than I thought."

She sounded terribly pleased at the thought, and Terra couldn't stop a little grin from coming to his own face.

"Awesome," he said.

She smiled at him.

* * *

**Crisis avoided, for now. Yes, I know the story's pretty slow at this point, but when it picks up, it will really pick up.**


	14. Silence

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Silence**

"Ven, stop squirming!"

Ven whined like a kicked puppy as she yanked another twig out of his hair. The blond boy, during a race with Terra, had somehow gotten his head full of twigs and brambles. It made him look cute, but also terribly messy, and that was something that just wouldn't do.

The wood made a little _ping_ against the table when it dropped. Seated in her lap, Ven grumbled and crossed his arms, the very image of a toddler who just wanted to go outside and play.

Sometimes, she didn't know if there was a difference between Ven and a toddler.

"I'm almost done," she said.

"Are you?" Of course, Ven had to crane his head back at that moment, right when she was about to grab the last leaf. "Really?"

"Yes, really." She pushed his chin back down and finished cleaning his hair. "You can go, now."

"Yes!" Ven leapt right off her lap, basking in an imaginary applause. He looked back sharply, as if just remembering she was still there, and then went a light shade of red.

"Uh, sorry for the trouble," he said, kicking at the ground.

"It's okay," she told him, "I don't mind."

His eyes went very wide and very big. "Really?"

"Yes, really," she said fondly. "You've always been my favourite. I just wish you weren't so _weak_."

That shattered the moment. She blinked, stunned at the words that had escaped her lips. Ven merely frowned, not quite grasping her meaning.

"Uh, sorry?" he said.

Mouth dry, she stammered out, "Uh, nothing. Forget I said anything."

He backed away from her. The expression on his face, it could only be described as the offspring of confusion and hurt. The first time he tried to speak, his words came out in a low mumble she couldn't understand. The second time, she had better luck.

"Do you really think that about me?"

"No!" she exclaimed. "Ven, of course not!"

His silence said enough.

"Ven!" She leapt to her feet. "Ven, wait! I didn't mean it like that!"

"Then how did you?" he asked carefully.

She grabbed a chunk of her hair, wanting to tear it out in her frustration and release some of his pent-up energy. "I didn't mean anything," she said. "I don't understand why I said that."

"Okay."

Ven was refusing to look at her. She sighed, then leaned over so that they were eye-level, and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Ven," she said, "you know I love you. You know I would never think anything like that about you."

He shrugged listlessly. Her stomach clenched at the sight.

"Come on, Ven. Give me a hug?"

Wordlessly, he did so, wrapping her tight within his arms. He still didn't look at her, instead burying his face into her shoulder. She whispered soft comfort to him, rubbing his back just in case he cried.

"Shh, it's okay. I didn't mean it."

He finally met her eyes. "You love me, right?"

"Always."


	15. Questioning

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Questioning**

Out of the corner of her eye, she examined Ven and his heap of crumpled-up papers. The boy was seated at the dinner table, not eating, but writing thickly with a quill. In front of him was a tome of magical theory, Master Eraqus's latest assignment for him.

She watched as Ven groaned, letting his forehead fall against the tabletop before crumbling up his latest piece of paper and tossing it aside. His face seemed set in permanent lines of frustration, to say nothing of his scowl.

She fidgeted uncertainly, a few feet away. As much as she wanted to go and help him, the memory of what she had said to him yesterday was still a very tangible barrier between them. Though she denied that she had meant it again and again, she suspected Ven was still questioning how true that was. The answer to which was completely true. She would _never_ say that about Ven! Sure, he was weaker than Terra and herself, but he was also the youngest and inexperienced. It was practically common sense that he wouldn't be as strong, but that didn't mean he was weak.

_Even if he does seem below average, _she thought dully.

A second later, she shook her head, trying to clear the thought. What had that been? No, Ven was perfect. Ven was great, just . . .

_Weak?_ her mind supplied thoughtfully.

"Shut up!" she hissed.

"Aqua?" Ven looked at her in concern.

She forced a smile onto her face. "Nothing! Just talking to myself."

He nodded, looking for a second like he might ask for her help, but then chose to remain silent. She hoped it wasn't because of what happened yesterday.

"Ven, are you still mad at me?" she asked.

"No," he said, unconvincingly.

"Ven, you know I didn't mean it," she said desperately.

_Should we really be lying to him?_ her brain asked.

She stiffened. Ven immediately picked up on her tension and shied away.

"No, no, it's not you . . . it's just . .. ugh!"

"Ugh?" he repeated. Some trace of humour returned to his voice, and he raised his eyebrows in a manner similar to Terra.

"Yes, ugh." She collapsed on the tabletop next to him, head supported by her elbows. "You know how it is: sometimes your brain just doesn't seem to be working right."

He nodded, looking distracted. "Does Terra think I'm weak?"

"Ven-"

"I am, aren't I?" He suddenly drooped, making it clear he didn't require an answer. "It's okay, Aqua. I know."

"Ven, that's like saying me and Terra are weak because the Master is stronger than us." When that failed to cheer him up, she said, "Hey, why don't we train? Just me and you. Then you can become stronger!"

Immediately, Ven perked up. "Really?"

"Sure."

She smiled as Ven leapt to his feet. Yes, this would be nice. Just the two of them training . . .

. . . _It'll be like fattening a pig._

* * *

**Because even if Vanitas is no longer looking to possess him, he hasn't quite gotten over his obsession with Ven...**


	16. Blood

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Blood**

Terra swung his keyblade up, letting it sit upon his shoulders. He eyed Aqua from a few feet away, grinning slyly. It was the grin of a fox that had just snuck into the chicken coop, fitting, since Terra was feeling that same kind of smug pride.

"Ready?" he asked Aqua.

She wiped some sweat from her brow, and nodded. Sure, maybe it was a bit unfair to ask her to spar after she had trained with Ven, but it was her fault for accepting.

"Get set . . . go!"

He sprung at her, eager to close the distance before she wrapped her head around the situation. But she had predicted this (probably helped by the way he had been bouncing on the balls of his feet) and cartwheeled nimbly out of the way, landing in a crouch. As she cast a Firaga spell, her eyes flashed, just like a cat's would when caught in a beam of light.

They continued to spar, hearts pounding, huge smiles on their faces. But somewhere along the way, Aqua's tiredness finally caught up to her, and Earthshaker sliced into her arm.

Terra winced. It was true that he and Aqua often injured each other like this, but it still rattled him every time it happened. He backed off immediately, giving Aqua a break so she could heal.

But she didn't. She clearly knew the wound was there, as she was gripping her injured arm. She backed away from him, jaw clenched, and when he finally caught a glimpse of her expression, it was not at all calm.

"Aqua?" Keyblade loose at his side, Terra walked towards her.

She stiffened. Something in her eyes shifted.

"Are you-"

She sprung at him, swinging her keyblade right at his chest, so quickly, so suddenly, he blocked it solely on instinct. He looked at her, confused, but that was quickly replaced by shock when she lunged again. Suddenly, Terra was backing up, dodging Aqua's fierce, almost frenzied swings. She didn't let up, not even when he shouted at her to stop; not even when the blood from her wound started dripping onto the dirt.

And yet, despite the fact she was the offensive, her actions still felt incredibly defensive.

"Stop!"

The unfamiliar spell made his arm shudder, but it got the job done. Aqua froze mid-lunge. He stood right in front of her. What now?

About five seconds passed before she broke free. She fell, landing facedown, making no effort to rise. Terra crouched down, grabbed her arm, and she recoiled –

Only for her breathing to stop as he healed her.

She looked up at him warily, like a wolf who had been released from a trap by a hunter.

"Aqua, what happened?" he asked.

"I . . ." Aqua sat up and curled into a little ball.

Terra studied her, saw the panic still visible in her eyes, and jumped to the logical conclusion. "Aqua, were you _scared_. Of me?"

She closed her eyes. "Yes."


	17. Rainbow

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Rainbow**

The two boys sat silently next to each other, neither looking the other in the eye. The air was filled with a thin mist, and small rainbows broke through to light the ground below. It was rather peaceful, if not a little gloomy.

Terra stirred, looking sideways at the youngest apprentice. "Ven, is it just me, or has Aqua been acting weird lately."

Ven didn't answer the question immediately. He took his time, shoulders drooping as he sighed. He took out his Wayfinder, wiping it with his thumb. "It's not you," he said.

Terra had expected the answer, but he still frowned. "She's been really odd lately, ever since that attack . . ."

Loyally, Ven said, "She says nothing happened between her and Vanitas."

"Do you believe that?"

Cheeks flush, Ven murmured, "Not really. But I don't get what would have her acting so weird."

"You said Vanitas beat you up, right?" When Ven nodded, Terra continued. "Maybe the same thing happened to her, and she's still really bothered by it. It could be something like that."

Supporting his weight with his arms, Terra leaned back and pondered the state of his female friend. Seeing how she had panicked earlier when he had been simply sparring with her, he was certain that Vanitas had definitely hurt her. And for her to freak out that badly while sparring with him . . . it must have been badly.

He shut his eyes. He didn't like to think about that, because it lead his thoughts down a path he really didn't want them to go down - even if it seemed to be the most probable option. Because after the monsters had vanished, it had taken him an awfully long time to find her . . .

_Don't think about that._

"So, what do we do?" Ven asked.

He wished there was an answer to give, but until he knew for sure what was wrong with Aqua, all Terra could do was offer some general advice.

"Just act normal," he said. "Let her know we're there for her. She'll come to us when she's ready."

_I hope._

He patted Ven on the back. "Come on," he said. "Let's get back to the castle."

They walked back, entering the castle quietly, steps echoing as they trod across the white floor. As they passed the Master's office, they heard voices coming from inside.

He didn't recognize one of them.

He and Ven exchanged a puzzled stare, and then they crept over to the door, slowly peeking inside.

Ven tugged at his shirt. "Terra, who's that?"

"I . . ." The answer was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't quite remember.

As if able to hear the whirling gears in his brain, the two men in the room turned. Master Eraqus waved them in, face carefully neutral.

"Master, what's going on?" Terra asked. He stared at the unfamiliar man.

Eraqus said, "Terra, Ven, I would like you to meet Master Xehanort."

* * *

**Review Response:**

**Shadow: Is this the same Shadow who left a review on Those Who Fight Monsters?**

**Well, that's good to hear. I try not to have mistakes, but if you ever see any, just let me know :)**

**Yes, Vanitas, like most smart people, is scared of getting the crap beaten out of him by Terra. Plus, the whole getting-injured-while-training made him flashback to his training with Master Xehanort, which is definitely not a good thing.**

**Vanitas has barely gotten started. But now that a certain catalyst has just arrived, he's going to start getting much more... active.**

**Aw, thanks :) You don't need to thank me for writing; I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it.**


	18. Grey

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Grey**

The music of conversation finally lured her away from her books and out into the halls. Curiously, Aqua wandered down to the Master's office, listening half-heartedly to the words that drifted out of the room. She could recognize the baritone rumbles of a curious Terra, the slow and measured tones of her Master's speech, and Ven's . . . guarded and wary voice?

Well, that couldn't be right.

Though the door was wide open, she knocked anyways, just to be polite. Terra was mostly blocking her view from here, but she could see the tip of the Master's chin past Terra's shoulder, and the Master's subsequent nod for her to enter. So, she did, giving Terra and Ven a wide smile, trying to ease any awkwardness that still might exist between them.

"So," she asked, "what's this all about?"

"We have a visitor," Master Eraqus said.

"A visitor . . .?" She said the unfamiliar word slowly. They didn't get many visitors here . . .

She froze.

The Master was speaking, but she couldn't hear him. All she could hear was her blood rushing through her veins; all she could see was gold.

It wasn't until her chest began to constrict that she realized she wasn't breathing. She gasped for air, making those gold eyes lock straight on her, along with a pair of grey ones.

The Master frowned. "Aqua?"

_Run_.

Terra touched her arm, and that shook her out of her daze. "You're Master Xehanort, right?" she asked, nearly demanding.

"That I am," Xehanort said. "It has been a long time since we've met. I am surprised that you still recall my face."

_Yeah, well it would take a lot to forget . . . that._ She wasn't even sure what her brain meant, but whatever it was, it wasn't good. The thought seemed to slide down her throat and into her stomach, making it churn violently.

_Run._

"Master Xehanort will be staying with us for the next while," the Master said. "He says that he has insight into that attack by those creatures, and may be able to trace them to their source. I expect you will treat him with as much respect as you would me."

"Yes, Master." The words left her robotically, as if it was all a dream. But the way the ground under her seem to be swaying felt very real, as did the knot of fear in her chest.

_Run_.

"Aqua, would you tell Master Xehanort about the attack?" the Master asked.

Once, she would have been eager to obey. But not today. Today, she was shaking her head, saying, "Actually, I need to get back to my books. I haven't caught up on all the work I missed while I was unconscious. Ven, could you?"

"Sure," Ven said, not looking very pleased.

_RUN_.

It took everything she had not to bolt. Once she was in the hall, however, she did, right to the nearest washroom where she was almost immediately sick.

* * *

**Review Response:**

**Shadow: Yay, I'm special XD**

**Well, it doesn't have to be about grammar.**

**Seeing that it's Vanitas and he's sneaky and all, I would say it is probably a bad thing. Of course, Xehanort's presence will take his focus off Aqua's friend for a bit. And no, Xehanort is not here over Aqua's weird behaviour, but because he knows what the unversed are and Eraqus does not. I'm willing to bet this whole Xehanort thing will not go the way you think it will.**

**Again, you don't need to thank me for that. I really wouldn't be much of a writer if I wasn't willing to listen.**


	19. Raining

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Raining**

"He takes aim . . ."

Ven eyed the wastebasket propped up in the far corner of the room. Before him sat a wretched, saggy-looking ball whose stained sides spoke of a familiarity with the outside. Unfortunately though, it was raining today, so his playing field was the lounge.

"And scores . . .!"

His foot slammed into the ball, which went flying, only to hit the wall, bounce back, and pretty much end up where it had started.

He drooped. "Aw."

His aspirations of becoming the greatest soccer player ever temporarily ruined, he hummed and turned to leave . . . only to be stopped by the sight of a bald head. Ven quickly glanced behind, making sure it was him Master Xehanort was staring at, then turned back to the old Master.

Veeery slowly.

"Hi, Master Xehanort," he said, swallowing down the instinctive whimper that threatened to escape. His heart felt like it had been replaced with a chunk of ice.

Master Xehanort casually scanned the halls, and then stepped inside the room. There was no door for him to close, but Ven felt trapped anyways; certainly, his body reacted as if it was: breathing heavily, muscles coiling like a compressed spring.

"C-can I help you?" he asked.

Master Xehanort stared at him, just stared, and Ven suddenly felt like he was going to die.

"Did you truly believe I would never find out?" the old Master finally rumbled.

"Find out?" Ven repeated.

"Don't play games with me, boy!" The air seemed to crackle with energy when Xehanort stomped forwards, when he seemed to grow at least two feet in that spilt second. "How long did you intend to hide out here?"

"What?"

"I told you, do _not_ play games with me!"

Ven didn't even know he'd been stepping back, not until his back hit the wall. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

Xehanort didn't bother to deliver a response to that. Instead, he grabbed Ven's arm, stared deep into his eyes and Ven felt something dark and cold crawling. . .

_An ambush in the forest, and a strange boy who prowled towards him like a tiger, keyblade in hand, approaching with unmistakable intent –_

_"Vanitas."_

_- A sudden break in the beating. The masked boy, collapsed on top of him, went rigid. Then, he was gone._

The flashback ended. Ven fell to his knees, shaking, while Xehanort stared at him in shock.

"This is not possible," Xehanort said. "If he has not united with you, then where is he?"

Ven didn't answer. He hugged himself, trying to control his body's shaking.

Master Xehanort hoisted him up to his feet. "Where did he go?"

"Don't know," Ven said.

He scowled. "Rest assured, I will discover where. Tell him that."

Ven said, "Tell him? I have no idea where he is!"

The old Master smiled. "Perhaps. But he will return to you, I promise."

"What . . .?"

"Vanitas is very possessive over what he deems as his."


	20. Fortitude

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Fortitude**

_Golden eyes observed her coldly, lazily scanning over the bruises, the blood that covered her mottled form. The owner of the eyes leaned his weight on a dark, thick keyblade, one whose blade gleamed with a red tinge._

_"Pathetic."_

_Aqua winced, unable to hold his gaze. Although her arms were under her and she was pushing up, she didn't seem to be getting anywhere . . ._

_The man suddenly stalked over to her, swung his keyblade easily and knocked her onto her side. She didn't resist, didn't fight back, just curled into a ball and protected her head while a voice in her mind began to scream –_

She woke up, same scream caught in her throat.

She scrambled into an upright position, the quick decision supporting the fortitude she needed to stay quiet. Her skin was cold and clammy, but it wasn't that she had kicked off the blankets; sweat had covered her body during the night. Head in her hands, she took deep breaths to calm herself, momentarily pausing when the reality of the situation finally hit her.

She'd had another nightmare about _him_.

About Master Xehanort.

She rubbed her eyes. It didn't make _sense_. She hardly even knew who the man was! They'd met once, apparently, but that was so long ago that she couldn't remember the events, and she never felt that young in her nightmares. There was no logical basis for them.

_Don't be ridiculous. He's the cause of them._

Okay, yes. That was quite obviously true. That didn't mean it had to make sense.

_Something needs to be done about him_.

She ignored that thought, and pulled the covers back over her. Maybe, she could reclaim a couple of hours of sleep that she would otherwise lose.

A few hours later, she was exhausted, but still awake. When the birds began to sing and sunlight fell upon her face, she finally surrendered, and rose. Honestly, she just really wanted to go back to sleep, but so far, her attempts had been unsuccessful, and training would start soon. So, she got out of bed, went through her morning routine, stepped out of her room and . . .

And ran right into Master Xehanort.

Only shock kept her from screaming right then and there.

"Hello, Aqua," he said, looking over her coolly. She was just lucky that her shock also prevented her face from displaying her fear.

She straightened up. "Master Xehanort."

He said, "I hear that you once had an encounter with this masked stranger, as did Ventus."

"Yes," she said. "He attacked me while I was fighting those monsters, we fought and –"

She had been about to tell him that she had been knocked unconscious, but a voice inside her hissed, _No. That's what he _wants_ to hear_.

" . . . he ran off into the woods," she lied.

"Intriguing." Master Xehanort said. "You will tell me if you see him again."

She nodded stiffly.

He smiled. "Good. I'll be waiting."


	21. Vacation

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Vacation**

"I really need a vacation," Aqua muttered.

It had been about a week or so since Master Xehanort had come to live with them, and she had gotten maybe about ten hours' worth of sleep in that time. In other words, she was pretty much a zombie at the moment, and it had gotten so obvious that Master Eraqus had shooed her away from training a few minutes ago.

The Master had expected that she would return to her bed and rest, but she knew better. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Master Xehanort, saw that cruel little smirk. And then the nightmares – the _pain_ –started. It was terrifying how much of a hold they had on her, because before, she didn't even remember the old Master.

Right?

_It's him. This is happening because of him_. That much she could agree with. None of these nightmares had hounded her until he showed up. But the key question was why. Why was she having such an adverse reaction to his presence?

Sometimes, she wondered if these nightmares were really repressed memories.

But in the same breath she thought that, she would shake it off. Possibilities and questions danced around in her head, making her already groggy mind even dizzier. If she had once trained under Master Xehanort, she didn't think she would completely forget about such a major time in her life. Plus, Master Eraqus would have mentioned it to her before. Unless it had been a traumatic experience for her, but in that case, he wouldn't have invited Master Xehanort here.

She stumbled as her mind attempted to sleep, only to wake up a second later. Head throbbing, eyes stinging, she took a second to compose herself. She was going to pass out sooner or later; that she could easily predict.

"This is going to kill me," she grumbled.

_Then do something about it_.

The thought was otherwise clear in her murky brain, and she gripped it tight, wondering. Maybe she could find a spell that guarded against nightmares or . . .

_That's not what I meant_.

"Then how . . ."

She blinked. What? Since when was she in the forest? She looked around, spying a flicker of something purple that dissipated into nothing.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, she stiffened. She turned, ducking behind a tree in the same beat, her eyes locking on the form of Master Xehanort. He was at the bottom of the slope she stood upon, standing on the edge of a drop as he scanned the trees below.

_You could take care of things. Right now._

"I can't . . ."

_You can. And it would be so easy._

"I . . ."

_You want to sleep, don't you? Just sleep._

The thought drifted through her mind, carrying drowsiness with it. It settled over her mind like a dark cloud, and her eyes half-closed.

Her keyblade appeared and in her state, she didn't notice the small purple flame that accompanied it.

_Do it._


	22. Mother Nature

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Mother Nature**

The door to her room slammed shut. Aqua dove straight onto her bed, burying her head on her pillow and _wailed_. Her knuckles went white from the strain upon them, a nice match for the pallor of her face.

Though once her mind had been foggy from lack of sleep, now everything was crystal-clear, and the memories of what she had just done played themselves out, only to then rewind and start again. Her hands still seemed to shimmer with the spell she had cast just minutes ago.

She swallowed. They were going to kill her. Not just Master Xehanort, but her Master, too. They were both going to kill her, or strand her in a desert somewhere, or _worse_.

Panic ran along the inside of her veins, making them squirm like bugs were burrowing under her skin. Yet she managed to wrestle back control of herself, enough that she could lift her head from the pillow without fearing she would burst out sobbing. She glanced to the side where her reflection stared at her from a vanity, and seeing that horrified, haunted face made her finally embrace the truth.

She had just tried to kill Master Xehanort.

The how was simple enough: Master Xehanort had been downhill, on the ledge of a cliff. A simple Gravity spell was all that was needed to send some logs and boulders careening down on him. The why was much more complicated. What was she going to tell everyone? That she had killed him over some nightmares? There was no reason she could pick out for her abrupt, homicidal actions.

She didn't know if Xehanort knew it had been her. The second the spell had been cast, she had run, and within a few steps, had somehow ended up inside the castle (she still had no idea how that happened). But he would find out, and when he did . . .

_Not if we do something first._

The strange idea was enough to quell her panic temporarily. Do something? Like what?

_Strike first._

"How . . .?"

And a terrible, an absolutely disgusting – yet _brilliant_ – plan took form in her mind. At first, she couldn't think about whether to go through with it, because she couldn't believe what she was considering. A plan like this . . . she didn't think Mother Nature had given her a mind that devious to create it.

She didn't think she could do it.

_You have to. It's the only way._

She shuddered. "No. No way. It's . . . it's just wrong."

_If you don't and he finds out . . . you'll lose everything._

True. But did that justify this?

_He hurt Ventus._

She went rigid. "What?"

_When he first arrived, he was so broken . . . how do you think he got that way?_

She listened, horrified as her mind continued to whisper to her. _It was Xehanort's fault. He hurt Ven. He deserves whatever happens to him._

Silence.

Aqua's fists clenched.

* * *

**It seems like last chapter everyone forgot Vanitas was sneaky. And he can teleport :)**

**Review Response:**

**Shadow: Xehanort's been wrong before. Like that time in BBS where he assumed Aqua would be no threat to his plans! XD **

**Yes and no. He left to find Ven because he was tired of waiting to be complete again, but he knows Xehanort will not be happy with him. Plus now that he's free of his Master, he's not too keen to go back.**

**I think you're right about the comma between small + purple, but I'm pretty sure the comma between appeared + and is a stylistic decision. To my knowledge, either way is fine so long as you're consistent. Which I'm probably not XD**

**Unfortunately, I've noticed too. Hence why I no longer give unsolicited reviews :( **


	23. Cat

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Cat**

"Up you get," Master Eraqus said, as he helped a wobbling Ven to his feet. The boy wasn't injured, just woozy from the effects of his botched Aeroga spell, a spell that had made him spin rapidly in circles instead of creating a shield. Within moments, however, Ven shook his head like a cat and tongue sticking out of his mouth, he brandished his keyblade, eager to try again.

"Terra." Eraqus beckoned the eldest apprentice forwards. "I trust that you will assist Ventus."

"Of course," Terra said. "Where are you going?"

"I am going to check on Aqua."

At the sound of her name, Terra's face darkened. It had become apparent to all of them that something was wrong with her. Eraqus had assumed she was sick and had given her a few days off to recover, but so far, it had done no good. He had no other leads to follow either, so he was at a complete loss to explain why she was acting the way she was.

Nevertheless, he left to check up on her. Her door was closed when he reached it, which in itself was unusual for her. Growing more concerned by the second, he pressed his ear against the wood.

He heard sobbing.

In retrospect, he should have knocked, but instinct took over in that instant, and he tore the door open. On her bed, curled up with her sheets, Aqua jumped violently. Bloodshot eyes met his, situated under messy hair and above rumpled clothes.

He stepped inside. "Aqua?"

Aqua only seemed to retreat further into herself, and like any good hunter, he gave chase. He walked right up to her, sitting on the bed next to her, touching her arm in what was meant to be a gesture of reassurance.

"Aqua . . ."

That was enough to get her moving. Right into him. She grabbed him, squeezing, and continued to cry into his shoulder. He just held her numbly, mind having frozen.

Finally, he could think again. "Aqua, what's wrong?"

It took her a long time to get the word out. "X-Xehanort . . ."

"Xehanort?" he echoed. "What happened?"

When Aqua didn't answer, only cried, he tried switching tactics. "Did you want to speak to Xehanort . . .?"

"No!" That reaction was immediate. "No, please . . ."

It was like his nerves had been dipped in cold water. "Aqua," he squeezed her without meaning to, chest growing tighter with each second, "did something happen between you and Xehanort?"

Aqua didn't answer.

"Aqua!" He pushed her back, forcing her to look at him. "Did Xehanort _hurt_ you?"

For nearly ten seconds, there was nothing.

Then, she nodded mutely.

Something rose up within him, something powerful and cruel. Struggling not to summon his keyblade, teeth bared in a snarl, he told her, "Wait here."

He stood and without looking back, left to confront his onetime friend.

Had he looked back, he might have seen the smile that flickered across her face.


	24. No Time

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**No Time**

"Eraqus? Good. I have been looking for . . ."

Whatever else Xehanort wanted to say was lost. Eraqus grabbed him by the collar and with shocking strength for his age, slammed Xehanort up against the nearest wall. Xehanort's eyes widened, but that was his only indication of his surprise, a fact that only convinced Eraqus that the man was guilty.

"What did you do to her?" he grated out.

Xehanort scowled. "Eraqus, what is-?"

"_What did you do?_"

A loud _clunk_ rang through the air as the back of Xehanort's skull smashed into the wall. That sound, or perhaps Eraqus's yelling, lured Terra and Ven away from their training. They dashed inside, stopping at the end of the hallway, watching the scene with a type of fascinated horror.

"Eraqus, release me!"

He did. Eventually. After all, he needed his hands to hold his keyblade.

He sprung as fast as the light itself, outline of his keyblade blazing. But even that wasn't enough to catch Xehanort, who deftly teleported out of reach. Now, the older man had his keyblade ready, and Eraqus's apprentices quickly followed suit.

"You dare?" Xehanort asked quietly, challengingly.

"I should be asking you that question," Eraqus said.

Ventus, keyblade at his side, glancing nervously between the two Masters, asked, "Master, what's going on?"

"I would like to know that, as well," Xehanort said.

Eraqus only said, "You know what you did."

But to his frustration, Xehanort said, "I do not."

That only made the power – the rage – inside Eraqus peak. "I have no time for your games!"

Eraqus sprung and Xehanort slid back, stopping just an inch beyond the range of Master Keeper. In one smooth motion, Xehanort brought his keyblade back and charged it with dark energy, unleashing a massive swing meant to hit Eraqus in the head.

For the observing Terra, it was too much. He planted his feet and aimed, Earthshaker sparking.

Terra's shotlock separated Eraqus and Xehanort – whether that had been the eldest apprentice's intention was anyone's guess. When the beam cleared, leaving the air crackling in its wake, Xehanort lunged. His form split into two, then three, and all three figures bore straight towards Eraqus.

But Eraqus burned the illusions away with a simple spell, then locked blades with the real Xehanort. Sharp and swift, they clashed, keyblade against keyblade, while the two apprentices could do naught but watch.

Then, they parted. Breathing heavily, the Masters stared each other down, waiting.

"Come near my apprentices again, and I will kill you," Eraqus promised.

Xehanort's face twisted in fury. It looked as though he would attack again, but then his eyes flickered to Terra. Grudgingly, Xehanort dismissed his keyblade and walked stiffly towards the doors.

Eraqus watched him go, Master Keeper still in hand.

As Xehanort left the castle and walked off into the distance, Ventus cautiously approached "Master," he asked, "what happened?"

Eraqus looked at him and Terra.

He said, "Master Xehanort is no longer welcome here."

He closed the doors.


	25. Trouble Lurking

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Trouble Lurking**

She heard it all from her room: the commotion, the fighting, the decisive click of the front door as it shut. A tiny part of her rejoiced. But that was it. A tiny part.

A clock ticked. A weight settled on top of her, growing heavier with each beat. Now, alone in her room, with the two Masters no longer fighting, she had no choice but to face the truth of what she had done: she had framed Master Xehanort. She wasn't even sure _what_ she had framed him for, though judging by Master Eraqus's reaction, it was something terrible.

She _was_ terrible. At the time, it had seemed like a good idea, but to actually have gone through with it . . . what sort of person was she, to do something like that?

Tears leaked down her cheeks, not the manipulative, crocodile tears from before, but heavy, guilt-laden tears. Her heart clenched like someone had reached inside her and squeezed.

What had she done?

The floor creaked outside her room. Shakily, she moved to wipe her tears away, to silence herself. She didn't know who was listening at the door, but she didn't want them to pity her. Not when she was the bad guy.

A knock. "Aqua, may I come in?"

She stammered, "Yes."

The door inched open, revealing Master Eraqus's figure. He walked over to her silently and sat on the bed as he had before.

"He will not hurt you anymore," the old Master said, sagging at the shoulders.

She stared, not knowing what to say, and Master Eraqus jumped to his own conclusions. "Aqua, do not be ashamed. It is not your fault."

And her feigned calm ended. "Yes, it is!"

But again, he misunderstood. "Aqua, this sort of thing is _never_ your fault. I – we – trusted Master Xehanort, and he abused that. The fault lies with none other than him."

"Master . . ." She couldn't look at him, couldn't bear to see the sympathy shining in his eyes. She buried her face in his robes, holding him tight, like a daughter hugging her father.

And for an innocent moment, that's all she was.

Then it came rushing back.

She swallowed. She needed to tell him, didn't she? A lie as great as this, it could only lead to disaster. Indeed, in the creeping shadows on the far side of the room, she seemed to catch a glimpse of the future, see the troubling lurking on the horizon.

She steeled herself-

_No, not happening._

She tried to speak, to confess, but her larynx seized up and refused to work. She couldn't tell, couldn't say anything until the Master finally left her. Then a strangled sound came out of her throat, and just like that, everything was working again.

What had that been?

_If you tell, you'll lose everything._

True, but what did it matter? It didn't justify –

_Sleep on it. You'll think differently in the morning._

Her eyelids grew heavy, and she succumbed.

* * *

**Review Response:**

**Shadow: Honestly, even if Xehanort had professed his innocence, nothing would have changed. Eraqus would believe Aqua over Xehanort, particularly about this topic.**

**Well I wouldn't say he was wrong... you just can't account for Lea XD**

**Oh, don't worry. When I said "that time in BBS", I actually mean "sometime before BBS". I don't think Xehanort ever explicitly talked about Aqua's non-existential role in his plans in canon, but I haven't played the game either, so who knows! **

**Not quite. Xehanort's thinking was more along the lines of "Eraqus, I am going to utterly own you... crap, Terra is watching and I need him to trust me later!"**

**Whoops, yes there was supposed to be a period there.**

**Thanks! And it wasn't pointless :)**


	26. Tears

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Tears**

Terra didn't walk through the woods so much as he glided through them: steps silent, seemingly unaffected by the debris under his shoes. He slunk in and out of shadows, with a slice of moonlight occasionally reflecting off his keyblade. The blade was held tight at his side, swinging with his gait as if it were an extension of his body.

He paused, seeing a flicker of motion in the shadows. He scooped up his keyblade in both hands, holding it parallel to the ground as he crept towards the figure. But his alarm was for naught, and the mysterious figure stepped into the light, hands held open in a gesture of peace.

"Have you found anything?" Master Eraqus asked.

Terra shook his head. "Nothing."

In the faint light, he could only see the tip of Master Eraqus's mouth dip into a scowl. The two of them were on the hunt for Vanitas, but so far, they had found nothing, not even a trace of his presence. Yet Xehanort's notes had been insistent that Vanitas was hiding somewhere on the world, so they weren't giving up.

Xehanort's notes told a lot, actually; almost too much. They were just lucky that Master Eraqus had kicked Xehanort out as abruptly as he had, leaving Xehanort with no chance to spirit away his findings. According to those, Vanitas had come to their world for a reason, and his attacks on Aqua and Ven had similarly been with purpose. Xehanort's notes implied that the old Master knew exactly why Vanitas attacked Ven, but the same could not be said for Aqua.

That was why neither Ven nor Aqua were on this mission.

"I don't understand where he can be hiding," Terra said.

Master Eraqus said, "The forest is thick on this world. Who knows where he has hidden himself?"

Terra grunted and wiped his brow. It was a hot, humid night and sweat lined every inch of his body. The drops liked to roll down his chest, or down his forehead and the connected cheeks, so that they resembled tears.

He swore and threw his keyblade at a tree, where it stuck in the trunk. Master Eraqus said nothing as Terra stomped over and yanked it out again. He wasted a second wiping sap from the blade.

"What now?" Terra asked.

Master Eraqus shook his head. "I believe it is fair to say that searching further will yield no results. It is best that we wait for Vanitas to show himself once more."

Terra bit the inside of his cheek. On one hand, he didn't want to argue with his Master; on the other hand, he didn't like the idea of a hostile party lurking around his friends.

"Terra," Master Eraqus said as he started to return to the castle, "keep a close eye on them."

He nodded, and said nothing as Master Eraqus faded into the shadows. Blue eyes glimmering in the starlight, he clenched his fists.

Vanitas would have to show eventually.


	27. Foreign

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Foreign**

It was a bright, sunny day, the birds were singing and she was seated at the kitchen table, looking out the window at a cloudless sky.

Which was weird because she could have sworn that a moment ago, she was sleeping in her room.

Before Aqua could ponder over this strange turn of events, a door opened. Master Eraqus entered, smiling.

"Good morning, Aqua," he said.

"Good morning?" she echoed, still confused.

He sat down across from her, and sipped from a teacup that she didn't remember him bringing. "Lovely day, isn't it?"

"Uh . . ."

"And it's an even better one now that Master Xehanort is gone, isn't it?"

She tried her hardest not to react. That comment, it was like the Master _knew_. Indeed, when she looked at him, his eyes seemed to be prying into her, reading the secrets of her soul.

She swallowed and looked around. Terra and Ven weren't around. The Master seemed to be in a good mood, too. If she wanted to tell, the time was now.

"Master," she said, "I need to tell you something."

"And what is that?"

"Master Xehanort, he . . ." She took a second to gather her courage. "He didn't actually hurt me."

The Master stared. Though he was still smiling, the smile suddenly felt like a threat. "What do you mean?"

She squeezed her eyes shut. "I made it up. I'm sorry, Master, I don't know what I was thinking! I-I didn't mean for it to go this far."

There was no response.

She opened her eyes. "Master?"

Hands closed around her throat.

Master Eraqus lifted her out of her seat, squeezing all the while, ignoring her splutters and gasps. Face an inch away from hers, he spat in a foreign tone, "You _bitch_!"

The wall actually cracked when he threw her against it. She cried out in pain, and fear. Instinctively, she tried to call Rainfell, but for whatever reason, the keyblade didn't respond. And Master Eraqus was advancing towards her, a manic glee and bloodlust upon his face-

He grabbed her neck again, and pressed her into the wall. His nails dug into her throat, but she hardly noticed over the panic. Her hands tore at his wrists in a frenzy, but he paid it no mind.

White spots danced in front of her eyes. Eraqus's face seemed to shift, like a reflection in a pool that had just been disturbed.

"Aqua?"

Her head lolled to the side. Terra and Ven were watching, faces blank.

She tried to beg them for help, but couldn't get the words past the vice on her neck. But the situation she was in made it easy for them to read her.

And then to her horror, they _turned away_.

"You're awful, Aqua," Ven said.

Her eyes snapped back to the Master as he leaned in. The normal grey hues of his eyes had brightened, changed, so that they were . . . gold?

"Bye-bye, Aqua," he hissed.

* * *

**Don't worry. Next chapter will explain what the hell just happened.**


	28. Sorrow

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Sorrow**

He woke so suddenly that he didn't know why. So, Terra laid in bed, blinking. His ceiling, boring and blank as usual, greeted his eyes. The rest of his room was likewise unexciting, so why he was awake –?

A scream rose from Aqua's room.

He burst out of his room and into hers, joining Ven who was already there. The younger boy's eyes were wild as he shook her. Aqua, for her part, didn't seem to know he was there. Her eyes were shut, and she was clawing at the bed for a handhold.

"Ven, what's going on?" Terra shouted.

"I-I think she's having a nightmare," Ven said. His pupils had shrunken so much by this point that they were nearly slits. "I can't wake her up!"

Terra roughly pushed Ven aside and grabbed Aqua himself. Instead of shaking her, he pinned her, and laid a hand upon her cheek as he cried, "Aqua, wake up!"

The screaming stopped.

But that didn't mean the danger was over.

Suddenly, Aqua's hands flew to her throat. Her mouth opened, but she didn't scream, but gurgled. She coughed violently, the sound half-strangled, and to their horror, her nails dug into the skin there and drew blood.

"Aqua!"

Terra forced her wrists away from her neck, but Aqua only continued to hack and convulse underneath him, struggles growing weaker with each passing second.

Finally, he connected the dots.

She couldn't breathe.

"Ven, get the Master, now!" he shouted. He felt along Aqua's windpipe, searching for a rope or something that might have been wrapped around it. But he found nothing that shouldn't be there. Was something lodged in her throat, then? He watched her, terrified, wanting to verify that theory, but unable to recall how to do so.

And she coughed. Not a half-muffled cough, but a _real_ one. Her eyes snapped open as she wheezed violently, sounding like she was on the verge of puking.

He nearly collapsed from relief, right there.

"T-Terra?" Her voice was weak, hoarse.

"I got you." He pulled her to him, swallowing down his terror so he could be strong for her. Her eyes were alight with emotion – not relief or sorrow – but pure, untainted fear.

"The M-Master-"

"Shh, he's coming."

She went rigid. At the same time, Ven and Master Eraqus barged in. They made a beeline for her, and Master Eraqus reached out –

She shrieked.

There wasn't any time for Eraqus to defend himself. Aqua's hasty, vicious spell struck him right in the face. The Master hollered in pain, and Aqua's only reaction was to try to burrow into Terra's arms.

The next few seconds were chaotic as Ven shouted, the Master healed himself, and Aqua grew more panicked. Yet, somewhere along the line, Terra figured out what was setting her off.

"Both of you, leave!" he snapped. "I'll take care of this."

They left without arguing, in shock.

Terra hugged Aqua tightly. "Shh, it's okay. I got you. I got you . . ."


	29. Happiness

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Happiness**

"That was a violent nightmare you had last night."

Curled up in the corner of her bed, still in her pyjamas, Aqua looked dully at Master Eraqus as he spoke. There was no trace of the spell she had cast at him, which she had expected, seeing that he was the best healer here.

He was seated in a chair he had pulled up to her bed, hands clasped together on his lap. His tone was careful, striving to be neutral, and his body language similarly so.

"Would you like to talk about it?" he asked.

She leaned back, and her head rapped against the wall. She should, shouldn't she? Talk about _everything_-

_What!? After all of that you still want to tell him?_

Her hands shook. She reminded herself it had been a dream; the Master would never raise a hand against her.

_You didn't seem to think that last night_.

"Shut up," she mumbled.

She didn't hear the Master's confused exclamation, too busy listening to her own thoughts. _You saw what he did to Xehanort, his 'best friend', when he thought Xehanort betrayed him. What makes you so sure he wouldn't do the same to you?_

A hand touching her arm snapped her out of her daze. Master Eraqus was peering at her face, acutely uncomfortable.

She licked her dry lips. "Master, if someone you knew – one of us – were to fall to the darkness, what would you do?"

His eyes darkened. "Do not believe Master Xehanort," he said.

"This isn't about him," she said. "I just want to know."

"Aqua," he put his hands on her shoulder, "none of you are going to go down that path."

"But what if we do?"

"Hush." His voice was just a little firm. "Do not trouble yourself over things that will not be. You forget that dreams are based on fantasy and impossibilities, and that Xehanort is not one who can be trusted."

She stared. He was avoiding the question.

And that was as good enough as a confession.

_See? That dream wasn't so far-fetched. If he thinks you've turned on him, he'll be quick to do the same to you. It's too dangerous._

But the alternative was almost unthinkable.

_So what? There's a reason nice guys finish last, and it's because they do stupid things like this. Why should we sacrifice our happiness- our life – for Xehanort?_

Her life? No, the Master wouldn't kill her. Yes, he would be very angry, but –

_Are you sure? You understood what he wasn't saying just a moment ago. You know how much he despises the darkness. What if he were to turn that hate on you? Master Eraqus, he's a friend, alright . . . as long as you stay in line._

She stared at the Master suspiciously. "Master, can I be alone for a little while?"

He blinked, taken aback. "If that is what you require."

She watched him go as the voice hissed inside her head:

_He can't be trusted._


	30. Under the Rain

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Under the Rain**

Ven bounded through the woods like a rabbit, leaping over logs, landing squarely on a patch of moss. Beads of water lined the surrounding leaves, and since the sky was thick with mist, it was the only sign that they were probably under the rain clouds.

He paused and looked behind him, spying Aqua staring into space some distance away. "Aqua, you coming?"

She jumped at his call. "Sorry."

He turned away and bit the inside of his cheek. In theory, he and Aqua were going to sneak up on and ambush Terra, but Aqua was acting weird. At this rate, Terra was going to fall asleep from boredom before they found him.

She made her way towards him. Her face twitched as she did so, as if she was trying to hide some emotion. Her attention still seemed to be focused on something far off, even as she stood beside him.

He led them on further into the woods. Usually, it was Aqua who took the lead, but she wasn't exactly normal today.

Once again, when he had stopped briefly to gather his bearings, she randomly stopped following. At this point, Ven could no longer deny that there was something wrong with her.

"Aqua," he said, "if you don't feel well, you can go back to the castle."

"What?" She jumped again, as if she had forgotten his presence. "No, I'm not sick, Ven."

His eyes narrowed. "Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing wrong," she muttered. "I'm fine."

"You don't-"

"Stop pushing!"

He flinched back, as if she had snapped at him with a whip instead of words. Seeing his reaction, Aqua took a step back and rubbed her brow, grimacing as if she had a headache.

"I'm sorry, Ven," she said. "I'm just not having a very good day."

"I know," he said. "That was some dream you had last night."

"Yeah." Her face was unreadable.

An uncomfortable silence fell over them. Ven bounced from foot to foot, feeling an urge to run away. Aqua wasn't looking at him, but had gone back to staring at nothing.

"Aqua, are you sure everything is okay?"

The muscles in her throat tensed. "Yes, everything's fine."

He peered at her. For some reason he couldn't explain, he had the feeling that she was lying through her teeth. "Aqua, me and Terra, we're here for you."

"I know." She smiled at him weakly. "You two are my best friends."

"Yep!" He bounced over to her, grinning widely as he craned his neck back to see her face. "The bestest friends ever!"

"Ven, bestest is not a word."

He pouted. "It should be."

She giggled and smiled at him, previous troubles forgotten.

Then, she cupped his cheek, and stroked it with her thumb.

Ven froze. Aqua usually did stuff like this but this, this felt _odd_.

Then, she was scrambling back, eyes filled with some profound horror. Her mouth moved, but she said nothing.

And she took off.

"Aqua? Aqua!"

But she was already gone.


	31. Flower

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Flower**

It was quiet in the woods today.

Granted, that was probably because Terra thought they were still stalking him and had adjusted his volume accordingly, and Ven was still trying to figure out what was going on. Anyways, it was quiet. The silence, the lingering atmosphere of loneliness and isolation, suited her. Not because she liked, or wanted, to be alone, but it made her feel safer.

Or rather, it made her think that her _friends_ were safer.

Seated on a log, she plucked the last petal from a flower and stared down at her curled hands. It didn't seem like there were nails on the end of her fingers, but claws. Sharp, evil claws, eager to rip into flesh. A gross exaggeration, perhaps, but she couldn't deny that they had been, for a moment, claws; for during an instance of time, while her hand had been upon Ven's cheek, she had been seized by an incomprehensible, vicious urge to dig her nails in and leave ruby trails in their wake.

She shuddered. Even now, picturing it filled her with both dismay and excitement. She . . . she wanted him to _bleed_, and she wanted to be there to witness it.

"What's wrong with me?" she whimpered. She couldn't understand where these bloodthirsty thoughts had come from.

And just as she asked that, the worst possible thing happened.

"Aqua!"

Panic rose up inside her, and her heart pounded. But Ven was quick, too quick, and was already in front of her before she could decide what to do. He looked at her with concern – concern over why she had run off, of course, because if he knew what she was struggling with, he wouldn't stand so close.

"Aqua, what's going on?"

He sounded frightened, and she instinctively wanted to soothe him. But she couldn't.

The small distance between them seemed to crackle with energy. He was close, so close. All she had to do was reach out and grab –

And then what?

Even she wasn't sure what would happen.

"Aqua, you're scaring me," Ven said.

They were at the same height, and that just made her longings worse. But they were turning into something strange, powered by emotions she couldn't name.

_He belongs to us, anyways. Do it_.

She felt very cold. And Ven, he was just _radiating_ heat.

_Go on. Do it._

She stared at him, Ven, whose features suddenly seemed so sharper, so much more striking. Every cell of her body seemed to vibrate with their proximity.

_Do it. Take him._

She was tempted, so very, very tempted. She wanted him, Ven, to hold him and touch him; to rake her nails down his back and make him bleed; to see the pain in his eyes –

She wanted to do this to Ven. Her best friend.

_DO IT!_

"_Just leave me alone_!"

She shoved Ven back, even though she wasn't really yelling at him.

"Aqua?"

"Get lost," she hissed, ignoring his hurt.

It was better this way.


	32. Night

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Night**

Timidly, Ven slunk into the room. There was no one there except him and Aqua, and she was stubbornly facing away from him, entranced by her book. The smouldering logs in the fireplace cast an eerie glow upon her face, making her appear like some unearthly spectre.

She flipped a page as Ven stood there. He was hyper-alert to every sound, every twitch she made; he almost thought he could hear her pulse. Yet she seemed completely blind to him, failing to notice his presence even as he crept forwards.

He said, "Aqua, you said you were going to help me with my Magnera spell today."

She paused briefly, but didn't look up from her book. "Not today, Ven. Another time."

"Oh, okay." His voice was unnaturally subdued, even to his ears. "Are . . . are you going to read me a story tonight?"

"I can't. I have things to do, Ven." She flipped another page of her book.

"But you promised!"

A shadow of irritation passed over her. "Ven, I think you're old enough to read on your own."

That hurt, yet it wasn't her refusal to read to him that hurt; it was because he had the thought that Aqua was rejecting more than that promise.

"Okay," he said. "Did you want to hang out?"

She stilled. "Ven," she said, tone carefully neutral, "did you not hear the part where I said I was busy?"

"You're just reading a book," he pointed out.

She slammed her book shut. "Yes, and I'm _busy_."

He hovered at her shoulder for a minute longer, waiting for her to cave. But she didn't. Instead, she went back to reading her book and ignoring him, and it hurt because Aqua _never_ did that.

"Are you mad at me?" he asked quietly.

Her eyes closed. "Ven . . ."

"You've been ignoring me all night!" he cried. "What did I do?"

"Nothing," she said. "I just . . . go ask Terra for help, okay?"

"But I don't want him to help me!" He pushed her book into her lap and forced her to look at him. "I want you!"

As soon as he said that, something sharpened in her eyes. He froze, feeling the mood shift.

"Do you?" she asked. She grinned, and it was a very unAqua-like grin.

He didn't know how to answer. He stepped away.

And she was on her feet. "Don't be like that, Ven," she crooned, rubbing his shoulders. "Didn't you want to hang out?"

"Yes?" He felt more unsure by the minute.

She leaned down and pressed her forehead against his. "I bet you do."

Before he could answer, she pushed him back. She stared at him, breathing heavily, eyes dark.

"Leave," she ordered.

"Leave?" he repeated dumbly. These mood swings were making him very dizzy.

"Yes, _go_."

"But-"

"Just go!" she snapped. "I don't want to talk to you; I don't want you around;_ I don't_ _want you_!"

"Aqua-!"

Her hand cracked against his cheek.


	33. Expectations

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix and Disney.**

* * *

**Expectations**

Waves passed over the shore, lapping at her toes before retreating. She stood barefoot in the sand, wishing that the frigid ocean would either calm the raging storm of emotion inside her, or else shock her out of whatever wicked spell she'd been ensnared by.

"Ven. . ." she whispered, remembering the look he'd given her – the one of complete betrayal – after she'd hit him. He'd fled after that, and so had she, coming to rest on the quiet world of Destiny Islands. It was a place where she could catch her breath, have some peace before she had to return to the utter mess that was her life.

And yet, though she was here, mourning over the past, she couldn't . . . she didn't really feel _bad_. No, most of her worry was about how the others would react, not about Ven himself. She wanted to feel sorry about what she'd done - she really did.

She just couldn't.

When did all of this begin? When had she starting turning into such a monster?

"Hello, Aqua."

She gasped and spun around. A few feet away, hands clasped behind his back, stood Master Xehanort.

Her pulse quickened. "Master Xehanort."

He walked towards her. "I don't believe we ever had a chance to exchange goodbyes, as the circumstances of my departure were quite unusual."

She backed away, walking into the surf.

He knew.

"Master Xehanort I'm so sorry!" she blubbered. "I didn't mean for any of that to happen; I just-"

"I forgive you."

"I . . . what?"

_Huh?_

"I forgive you," he said simply. "I understand. Sometimes, we do things that we later come to regret."

"Yes, we do." She should have been relieved, but right now, she was only wary.

"I understand, Aqua. The strain of becoming a Master, of living up to my friend's expectations can be quite . . . draining. Stressful."

"It is," she agreed.

Xehanort nodded. "Indeed. And sometimes the strain penetrates deep, and you find yourself changing, becoming someone you fail to recognize."

She stared at him in awe. Master Xehanort, he was hitting the nail right on the head. She couldn't help but think he knew exactly what was going on with her.

"And how do you stop it?" she demanded. "How do I go back to being . . . me?"

"Are you sure that's what you want?" he asked.

"Yes!"

"Give it time," Master Xehanort said, "and all will be well. You will see."

"But . . ."

"These things, they fade in time," he said. "There is nothing wrong with you."

"I . . ." She swallowed back her words; as helpful as he was, she didn't want to tell him what she had done to Ven. "Thank you, Master Xehanort."

His lips twitched with a smirk. "It was my pleasure. Remember Aqua, if it ever gets to be too much, you may always talk to me."

"Thank you," Aqua said. "I'll remember that."

_Yes, we certainly will._


	34. Stars

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Stars**

"Ven? Hey, Ven." Terra rapped lightly on the younger boy's door. "You there?"

There was no answer from inside the room.

He chuckled lightly. "Asleep already? You didn't even come to say goodnight."

He pushed the door open, enough to let a slit of light fall upon Ven's floor and his bed. Contrary to Terra's expectations, Ven seemed very much awake. He was curled up at the base of his bed, forehead upon his knees, basking in the combined light of the stars and the moon.

"Ven?" Terra pushed the door fully open. "Everything alright?"

Ven didn't answer, so Terra thought it okay to tap his shoulder. At that, the youngest apprentice finally stirred. He looked up at Terra with teary, red-rimmed eyes. Then, he launched himself into Terra's arms.

_First Aqua, now him?_ Terra suppressed a sigh. Why did all of this have to happen now? With Ven hanging from his body like a necklace, Terra eased himself into a sitting position, and rubbed the smaller boy's back.

"Okay, Ven, what happened?" With Ven, it could be something as serious as breaking a limb, or as silly as stubbing his toe.

"I don't want to talk about it," Ven mumbled.

"Okay," Terra said. Things would be so much easier if his friends just _talked_. " . . . You sure?"

"Yes."

As he said that, Ven swung his head away, letting Terra catch a glimpse of the side of his face . . .

"Ven, what's that?"

Ven stiffened, and tried to hide his face in his knees again, but it was already too late. Terra touched the darkened flesh on Ven's face, mouth dropping open.

"Ven, how did this get here?" Terra demanded.

Ven cupped his bruised cheek, looking everywhere except at Terra. "I . . . I had an accident."

"Alright. Keep going."

Ven swallowed. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. With a shake of his head, he answered, "It's nothing."

"Ven, this," he gestured at the bruise, "is not nothing. Tell me what happened."

Ven took a few seconds." Promise not to laugh?"

"Of course."

"I fell into a wall."

Terra laughed. "Why am I not surprised?" Seeing that Ven wasn't smiling, he added, "I used to do that all the time when I was ten; you should ask Aqua or the Master."

"Yeah, it's pretty funny, isn't it?" Ven said, suddenly sounding happy again. "Really silly of me."

"Don't worry; you'll grow out of it."

Ven laughed nervously, then went quiet. Terra followed his gaze. Standing in the doorway was Aqua, calmly watching the two of them.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey, Aqua," Terra said. "Is it Ven's story time already?"

She shrugged. "I guess."

"Okay, I'll be going, then . . ."

Ven suddenly squeezed his arm. Terra frowned and looked down at him.

He asked, "Something wrong, Ven?"

Ven hesitated, then shook his head.

"Okay." Terra glanced up to see Aqua sigh with relief.

He couldn't help feeling like he missed something.


	35. Hold My Hand

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney**

* * *

**Hold My Hand**

Both of them whipped around when the glass shattered against the floor. Caught fast in their sights was Aqua, standing stiffly as at her feet, water spread in a widening puddle. It drifted past the glass shards, making them twinkle in the room's light, and pooled around her shoes.

Terra and Ven glanced at each other. Nothing about this hinted at anything good.

Terra made the first move. "Aqua?"

Her left arm twitched.

Terra felt his heart drop into his stomach. _Kingdom Hearts, not again_.

He lunged forwards, scooping up Aqua right before she toppled over. Her face was slack, eyes dull, mouth slightly ajar. Her head and neck hung over his shoulder, as limp as an empty sack. Within his arms, she continued to convulse.

Through gritted teeth, Terra said, "Ven, go get the Master."

As Ven ran off, Terra carried Aqua over to a chair. Getting her in the chair was pretty easy; it was keeping her there that was tricky. It was quite obvious she wasn't able to support herself, and between that and her violent convulsions, she would have slid right out. He had to take action to keep her from ending up on the floor, yet at the same time, if he tried to restrain her, she occasionally found enough coordination to lash out. She had the last time he'd tried.

_Three times in two days . . . What in Hades is going on? _he thought glumly. The first seizure had been random enough, but then to be followed by not one other, but two? With no indication of a cause or trigger? He was starting to freak out.

It took five minutes for her to calm down. Well, if you were only considering the convulsions. Emotionally, she did the exact opposite. Terra just acted as her rock, letting her cling to him, waiting for her to give him a clue as how to act.

When she didn't speak, he prompted her with, "You need me to do anything?"

"Just hold my hand," she murmured, eyes closed. "Please."

He did as she requested. Or at least tried. One hand, he successfully took within his own; the other, not so much. His hand closed over hers, but Aqua's hand remained rigidly open. Too rigidly.

He looked at her. She was staring at that hand, eyes wide.

Then, the hand snapped closed. Painfully. Sudden spikes of pain ran up and down his arms as her nails dug in.

"Aqua, you're squeezing pretty hard," he said.

"I-I didn't tell it to do that," she whispered.

He blinked. "What-?"

He yelped as she squeezed tighter.

He said, "Aqua, seriously, this is starting to hurt."

"I c-can't. It's not listening!"

Just as she spoke, she let go. Terra took his hand back, and examined the marks in his flesh. Over his hand, he peered at her.

"I'm sorry; I'm so sorry!"

Before he could speak, another did.

"Aqua," Master Eraqus said, "I think it is time we discussed this."


	36. Precious Treasure

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Precious Treasure**

Absolutely everything about Aqua's body language said she didn't want to be here. Her face was pinched, sullen almost, like a child caught pilfering another's toy. But while that defiance was expressed in her eyes, the rest of her spoke of fear. Her body was hunched, as if hiding a precious treasure, while her eyes burned a hole in Eraqus's desk. She seemed so stiff that he had to wonder if she could speak.

Master Eraqus sighed, and sat across from her. Elbows on the desk, fingers entwined, he tried to radiate as pleasant an aura as possible.

He spoke. "Aqua, I have tried to allow you to come to terms with events on your own. At this point, however, I think it is time we acknowledge that is not working."

He paused, waiting for her response. She remained silent and picked at the desk, clearly hoping he would keep talking. When he didn't, however, she exhaled and said, "So, what now?"

"Let's discuss these seizures first." He figured that was a good choice, as it wasn't a direct reference to what Xehanort had done. "Have you received any injuries lately?"

"No," she said. "I haven't. I don't know why these are happening."

"No injuries?" he repeated. "Have you hit your head or spine at any point?"

As awful as it sounded, he wanted a yes. That way, at least they had a cause, and they could take measures to cure her. But if it wasn't so, there was little they could do.

Naturally, she said, "No."

"Very well." He studied her for a moment. He hated what they had to talk about next, but it had to be done. "Then I think it is time for you to tell me what really happened between you and Xehanort."

She looked at him sharply, then remembered she was supposed to be avoiding her eyes. Hugging her knees to her chest, she muttered, "There's nothing to talk about."

"Aqua, you need to tell me," he said. "You're hurting, and I can't do anything to help you if I do not know what the problem is."

"Then don't," she said easily. "I'll take care of myself."

He struggled not to raise his voice. "You have had three seizures in the past two days. That is not taking care of yourself."

She had no argument.

He stood. "Aqua, it is time. You must tell me what happened!"

"I don't need to tell you anything!" she spat.

He blinked. That attitude, he'd expect it from a ten-year old Terra, perhaps. But not Aqua. Never Aqua.

_Light, what happened to you_? he wondered.

"Aqua," he said, "I am not giving you a choice. Tell me."

"Or what?" Now, she was on her feet. "You going to make me, old man?"

She stopped. Stared down at the hand that had a fistful of his shirt. Then, she backed up, but it was too late. He'd already sensed it.

Darkness.

Now, he understood.

Xehanort had unlocked her darkness.

* * *

**Oh Eraqus, so close, yet so far.**

**To answer that question called "What the heck happened last chapter?", Aqua's seizures are being caused by Vanitas's attempts to take physical control. So far, he's mostly been unsuccessful.**


	37. Eyes

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Eyes**

"What are you saying, Master?"

"Exactly what you think I mean, Terra: Aqua's irregular behaviour is a result of a reckless release of her darkness!"

At his side, Terra's once-clenched fists fell slack. He was standing in the exact same spot that Aqua had, not long ago, been sitting.

"Her darkness?" Terra repeated hoarsely.

Eraqus could only nod.

Terra shook his head. "No, that's not possible. Aqua's never had that kind of darkness."

_I know._ Eraqus looked at Terra sadly. Aqua's affinity to light had been one of the reasons he had chosen her, to give a younger Terra could have something to aspire to. To think this darkness had been lurking inside her this entire time, it was almost unthinkable.

How could he have missed it? Better yet, how had this remained under wraps for so long? While nowadays, Terra's darkness rarely reared its head, it had plenty of times when he was young. But Aqua? Never. There had never been a whiff of darkness from her that was beyond the ordinary.

Then again, Aqua had almost been the most mature – most controlled – of the three. Was it possible that she simply held it in all these years?

To Terra, he said, "How else could the darkness had gotten there?"

Left without a counterargument, Terra stomped over to a corner. Arms crossed over his chest, he said, "Do we tell Ven?"

"We must," Eraqus said. "It is not right to leave him ignorant of the danger he lives with."

"Danger?" Terra whipped around. "Whoa, Master, she's not a 'danger'. Sure, she's a little more snappish and angry than usual, but she's still Aqua!"

"An Aqua corrupted by darkness," he warned.

Terra scowled. "If I can get better, so can she."

"I know," Eraqus said. "I just never imagine I would face this with her."

That much was true. He had groomed Aqua to be a defender of the light, and she had taken to it eagerly. To think that she could go against that now . . .

No. He had to remind himself that Terra was right. Just because she was struggling with her darkness did not make her evil. She could get better.

"Okay, and you think Master Xehanort did this, right?" Terra asked.

"I do," he said. "None of this began until his arrival."

Staring out a window, Terra asked, "So where does Vanitas fit in?"

"I don't know." Eraqus rubbed his chin. "Perhaps he had been acting as a scout for Xehanort."

Terra glanced over his shoulder, eyes dark with suspicion. "They knew each other."

"It would explain some aspects of Xehanort's notes," Eraqus admitted. "They indicated that he was familiar with Vanitas."

"The whole thing was a set-up," Terra snarled.

"It appears so."

Terra grimaced slightly, as if suffering a headache. Adding to that illusion, he rubbed his brow. "I guess I should talk to Ven sooner than later. Where is Ven? Actually, where's Aqua, too?"

"They are training together, as of the moment."


	38. Abandoned

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Abandoned**

Ven returned later that afternoon. He slipped by unnoticed, so that Terra only realized his training was done when he glimpsed inside the younger boy's room. Ven was sitting up on his bed, eyes trained on his left arm, his right hand hovering above it. The sight was strange to Terra's eyes so, naturally, he had to check it out.

Ven jumped and hid his left arm behind his body, but not quick enough to hide the reason from Terra.

"Whoa!" Terra said, rushing over to Ven. He yanked the arm back out into the open, revealing the open wound upon it for all to see. "How did this happen?"

"Training," Ven said dully.

Terra raised an eyebrow. "Really? I don't think Aqua would abandon you while you were still bleeding."

"I asked her not to heal it," Ven said. "I wanted to do it myself."

The next logical response was that there was no way Aqua wouldn't be hovering over his shoulder to make sure he did it right, but Terra decided to play along. "Okay. Why?"

Ven's eyes grew watery. "I wanted to stop being so weak."

No. _No_. Seriously, why did everything need to start happening _now_? "Ven, you are not weak," Terra said.

"Yes, I am!" Ven shouted. "I can't fight, or spar with you guys unless you hold back; Master won't let me go to different worlds; and I can't even heal myself."

Ven shook his incriminating arm in front of Terra's face. Terra merely grabbed it, gently, and forced it down until it was at Ven's chest level.

"Okay," Terra said, "put your hand over the wound."

Ven did so warily, as if it was going to electrocute him.

"Now, say _Cure_."

"Cure," Ven mumbled.

Nothing happened, and the younger boy started to work himself into a frenzy again. "See, Terra? I can't do it; I'm too-"

Terra put his hand over Ven's mouth. He stared deep into the other's blue eyes, and softly said, "Try it again. Concentrate."

Ven sullenly did as he was told. Again, nothing happened.

"You have to mean it, Ven," Terra said. "You got to say it with confidence."

Ven sighed. "Cure," he said firmly.

The edge of the wound began to close, halving the size of the wound before the magic ceased.

"See?" Terra rubbed Ven's back, almost able to feel the boy quivering with excitement. Within a couple more tries, the wound had closed completely.

Ven laid back, a great whoosh of breath escaping him. "Thanks, Terra. That really helped."

"No problem. Ven, just remember this: just because you aren't as strong as us doesn't make you weak."

The light in his eyes dimmed. "Yeah . . ."

Terra frowned. Maybe it was best to change the topic. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Yeah?" Ven's shoulders lifted off the ground.

Terra closed his eyes. "It's about Aqua."

Ven swiftly adopted a poker face. "Do you know what's wrong with her?"

"I think so."

* * *

**Gees, I wonder how Ven got it into his head that he was weak!**


	39. Dreams

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Dreams**

He stirred uneasily. He could tell without opening his eyes that it was early morning – though his body didn't seem to think so. It was oddly awake for this time of day, denying Ven's efforts to return to his slumber.

His eyes cracked open, then blinked rapidly to clear the gunk gluing them shut. Shadows weaved in his vision, coating the walls like paint. Through his window fell a beam of moonlight, illuminating sinister shadows upon the opposing wall. He rubbed his eyes.

And froze at the sound of movement.

Curiously, Ven rolled over, not really expecting to see anything there.

He was wrong.

Uncertainly, he said, "Aqua?"

She stood in the middle of his room, right in the darkness, eyes appearing a strange silver hue that seemed to glow in the dark. He stared at her, not knowing what to say. Aqua wasn't usually there when he awoke from his dreams, not since the early days when he had suffered from constant nightmares.

"Aqua, is something wrong?"

But of course something was wrong; something was wrong with _her_. Terra had told him everything, about Xehanort and her darkness, about Vanitas. Apparently, Ven himself was lucky to have avoided the same fate. Still, that left Aqua to deal with, and he wasn't even sure what kind of Aqua he was dealing with.

"Nothing's wrong," she said, voice strangely flat. "Go back to sleep."

He didn't listen and slid off his bed. His pyjamas seemed to hang off his body, as if two sizes too big. "Aqua, why are you in my room?"

Her head tilted to one side. "Do you really want to know the answer to that?" she asked.

The question sent a shiver down his spine and suddenly, he didn't trust her. "If you don't want to talk to me about anything, could . . . could you go?"

She studied him for a brief while. In the moonlight, her teeth glinted as she smiled. "You're so hot and cold, Ven," she said. "First, you won't leave me alone because you want to hang out, then you want me to leave"

"It's like four in the morning," he pointed out.

"True." She turned and stared out the window.

He fidgeted uncomfortably in the silence. "Aqua, why are you here?"

"I wanted to see you," she said, and she didn't walk, but _slunk_ over. "There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

"No . . ."

Her arms went around his neck , reeling him in. "You've always been my favourite," she said.

His breath caught. "Aqua, this is starting to freak me out."

"Is it?" She smirked.

Suddenly, her lips touched the top of his head. He pushed her away, and backed up towards his bed.

"Wh-what was that for?" he demanded.

She grinned viciously. "I wouldn't worry about it, if I were you. See you tomorrow, Ven."

She turned elegantly, sash gliding through the air as she did.

The door opened, then clicked shut.

And she was gone.


	40. Rated

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Rated**

Ven sat under his favourite tree: an ancient oak whose roots formed a perfect throne for the boy. Though technically his eyes were directed skywards, it was quite obvious that the bulk of his attention was really on the Wayfinder cradled within his lap. One hand cupped the glass star, while the thumb of his other hand rubbed a deep circle into its center. A beat passed, and then Ven looked down at the Wayfinder and rubbed his eyes.

From a distance, Terra saw it all. His own eyes were watery, not from any emotion, but from lack of sleep. Worry and speculation about Aqua had made slumber scarce these past couple of days, and it didn't help that _Ven's_ behaviour was starting to concern him.

Terra walked up to him. "You okay, Ven?"

Ven looked at him dully. "Yeah. Fine."

It didn't take a genius to know he was lying. Terra sighed and sat down next to him. "No, you're not. Something's bothering you."

Ven shrugged. "I'm fine, Terra. I don't know what you're talking about."

_Bull_.

He looped his arm around Ven's shoulders and pulled him in. "She'll be fine, Ven. Don't worry."

Ven wrung his hands together. His bottom lip was sucked into his mouth as he mulled over something. "How long will it take for her to get better?" he asked quietly.

Terra hesitated. He didn't know how to tell Ven that she _wouldn't_ get better, that the darkness Xehanort had unleashed was now part of her. Like him, Aqua would forever be haunted by her darkness. It was who she was now.

"I don't know," Terra said. "But we'll be there for her, right?"

"Yeah." Ven leaned into Terra, his head resting on his broad chest, and shut his eyes. Terra ruffled his hair gently. He had a feeling Ven wasn't getting much sleep either.

Eyes closed, Ven murmured, "Terra, what if she doesn't get better?"

"She will," Terra said firmly. He didn't even want to think about another option. "She's never had to deal with darkness before, and she has no idea how to control it. That's why she's acting so weird."

Ven mumbled something incoherent. His hands gripped loosely at Terra's shirt, kneading it like a kitten.

"Go to sleep," Terra said, "you need it."

Ven stirred. "I hope she gets better soon."

Ven fell into a peaceful slumber after that. Terra stayed as his pillow, watching with amusement as a bit of drool fell from Ven's open mouth (he'd be sure to tease the younger boy about that later). The midday sun baked the land around them, so that when Terra tore his gaze away from his charge and looked towards the horizon, the land seemed to waver.

And during this time, which if had to be rated, was the hottest the world had been this month, Aqua was off doing her _special training_ with the Master. Knowing the Master, that could be anything.

"Good luck, Aqua," he murmured before falling asleep.


	41. Teamwork

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Teamwork**

Hands on her knees, eyes closed and legs crossed, Aqua could feel a bead of sweat roll down her back. At least this time, her private lesson didn't involve physical activity. While the Master had never made them collapse from heat stroke, there were plenty of times where they felt like they would. But today, this was a simple meditation exercise, an exercise of control, as the Master put it.

She exhaled. Her insides were a jumble of emotions. She could pick out boredom, annoyance at performing such a trivial task, but also hope that this was what she needed. Because that's all it was about, wasn't it? Control. It had worked for Terra; surely, it would work for her.

"How are you feeling?" Master Eraqus demanded. The way he stared at her, it made her feel like some precious sculpture in a museum.

She shrugged. "Fine. No different than usual."

"Define usual."

She cringed, not liking the underlying implications. "Like none of this ever happened."

"Good." He paced in front of her, back straight and steps brisk like a soldier. "And you must strive to remain that way. Darkness is a wicked thing, Aqua, and you must remain vigilant against its temptations."

A wave of irritation washed over her. Dare she say it, but she almost felt insulted by his words. Before that could show itself on her face, however, she pushed the feelings back and focused on being calm.

"If Xehanort unlocked my heart, can't you just lock it again?" she asked desperately. "Isn't there a way to go back to how things were before?"

"It's not that easy," Master Eraqus said. "Your darkness has been unleashed and trying to contain it now would be akin to trying to gather up the water released by a broken dam. I am sorry, Aqua, but the only thing we can do is deal with the fallout."

Of course he couldn't help. Her brow scrunched up as she reflected on how useless everyone in her life was. Maybe though, if they all came together and used a bit of teamwork, someone could suggest something . . .

She thought maybe another ten minutes passed. At that point, she began to get antsy. She didn't feel any different than how she had felt before. She still felt normal. That was good, right?

"Master, how long do you want me to mediate?"

"Until we are sure that the darkness is subdued," he said.

"But Terra took years to control his!"

He glanced at her. "Not fully subdued, but enough so that we can rest easy without worrying there is no wolf prowling among the sheep."

Though his words probably weren't directed at her, though they probably weren't meant to be personal, she still took them that way.

"You think I'm a monster," she whispered.

"You are not," he said calmly. "But darkness is evil."

She said nothing, but in her mind, she remembered what he said about the darkness being part of her.


	42. Standing Still

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Standing Still**

"Now, Salvation is a powerful spell, one that can both be used to heal, but is also a very potent weapon if used correctly. Naturally, of course, this means the spell is very capable of harming any allies if one miscalculates. Which means . . ."

" . . . That I must be cautious in its use," Aqua droned. What the Master was saying now was more or less what he said about all advanced, offensive magic.

Eraqus nodded briskly. He scooped his keyblade up, and holding it parallel to the ground, said, "Observe."

He brought his keyblade back so that it pointed behind him, then swung forwards. She thought the Master might have twirled too, but the huge dome of light that encased him made it impossible to tell. The dome broke off as columns of light erupted from the ground, lighting the area as if a dozen lightning bolts had stricken it at once.

Standing still, she stared. That . . . had been amazing.

"Now it is your try," the Master said.

Aqua summoned Rainfell and grinned. Once she mastered this spell, she was going to have some fun with the boys.

But it was not to be. Time passed, but she could not cast the spell. This spell, everything about it felt _wrong_. Like it wasn't meant for her. Finally, she had to admit defeat and with sweat pouring down her forehead, she faced her Master with her head bowed.

He sighed, looking not quite disappointed, but resigned. "I was afraid of this."

"Is it too advanced for me?" she asked, taking comfort in the idea that she could learn it another time.

"No, it's . . ." His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. "It is a spell very much dependent on light."

His words washed over her. At first, she felt nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Then, the dam broke.

"This was a test," she spat. "This entire spell was just a test!"

The Master winced. "I had hoped . . ."

"What? That you could make me feel worse than I already do!" she screamed at him, face red.

"Aqua, I –"

She spoke over him, unable to stop. "It's obviously what you want. Now that I'm not your little puppet, you just want me gone!"

"I-"

"Why don't you just kill me and get it over with?"

"Kill you?" he repeated weakly. His face suddenly went grey. "Aqua, have you . . .?"

He moved too close to her, and she raised a fist.

To punch him.

Thankfully, common sense caught up with her before it did. But that did nothing to soothe the simmering rage inside her veins.

"How did you reach such absurd conclusions?" He demanded. "I have never alluded to any of these ideas."

"You didn't have to," she sneered. She didn't care that he was denying her accusations; she didn't care that he was clearly baffled.

Because in that moment, she hated him.

And that was all she remembered.


	43. Dying

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

**I need to clarify something about last chapter. It is NOT Vanitas's fault that Aqua can't use Salvation; it's canon in BBS that she can't learn it, and I was going with that. So yes, Eraqus just made a poor choice in spells.**

* * *

**Dying**

The birds were singing. Yawning, Ven staggered into the kitchen, wobbling like a penguin. He smacked his lips together as his stomach growled with the expectation of food. Lazily eyeing a box of cereal, he waddled towards that . . .

Only to freeze when he saw Aqua already sitting at the table.

"Morning, Ven," she said.

"Morning," he said. He looked around. "Where's everyone else?"

"Off training," she said flippantly. "Eraqus has been spending so much time with me that Terra was starting to feel left out."

"Oh." Something cold and wet seemed to be sliding down his back, like he was in an icy shower. "So, it's . . . it's just us here."

"It is," she said.

Ven did not speak; his pounding heart said it all. His suddenly dry lips smacked together again. "Well, I was just curious. I'm just going to, uh, read that stuff the Master wants me to read."

"Not without eating first," Aqua said in her regular mother-hen tone. "I made you breakfast."

Hearing those words, those words that were entirely _her,_ made him feel better. His muscles relaxed considerably as he took the seat she offered to him and wolfed down his breakfast.

"What are you doing after?" she asked.

Fork already halfway to his mouth, he hesitated. Did he go with his previous lie, or did he spend time with her? It seemed to be one of her rare good days . . .

"You're taking a long time to answer a simple question," she remarked, voice low.

He swallowed. Never mind. This wasn't shaping out to be a good day.

Her hand shot out and grabbed his jaw. Brusquely, she forced him to look her in the eye as she spat, "You lied to me."

He closed his eyes and nodded. He knew it was better to get the truth.

"Idiot!" Her hand smacked against his cheek, making it sting. He just kept his eyes closed.

Wrong move. She grabbed his arm hard and shouted, "Look at me!"

Reluctantly, he obeyed. With the rage etched across her face, he could barely recognize her. Aqua, _his_ Aqua, wasn't like that. She didn't scream at him or hit him or make him shiver when she looked at him . . .

"Why'd you lie?" she demanded.

He shrugged. As bad as lying was, he knew that in this situation, telling the truth was worse.

_It's not her fault_, he told himself. _She's sick. She doesn't know what she's doing_.

"Since you're not busy," she said, "let's have some fun."

She summoned her keyblade. "We'll play hide-and-seek."

The blood drained from his face. Oh Light, she was in one of _those_ moods.

He took off into the castle, fear racing up and down his spine. He found the smallest, most sheltered hiding spot he could and curled up in it like he was dying.

Struggling not to cry, he closed his eyes and prayed that this time, it was just a game.


	44. Two Roads

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Two Roads**

"Oh, Ven . . ."

Still stuffed inside his hiding place, Ven seized up. Light, she was looking for him, and by the sounds of it, it wasn't just so she could win their 'game' of hide-and-seek. Impossibly, he burrowed deeper into the cupboard, his knees tight against his forehead as he trembled.

He could smell his own fear: a sour, sweaty stench. The heat was already getting unbearable, but he dared not peek out for air. She could be standing right there, waiting.

"Where are you, Ven?"

She sung those words, and Ven had the sudden picture of a siren luring in her prey. She was close now, very close. If he had to guess, he would say she was right in the hall outside. Which meant there were two roads she could take now: go down the hall and further away, or enter and be in the same room as him.

A door clicked open.

She had chosen his room.

He clamped a hand over his mouth to muffle his breathing. The floor creaked as she walked across it.

And his cupboard door flew open.

Her smile was razor-sharp. "Found you."

He couldn't breathe, couldn't move. Eventually, Aqua got bored and pulled him out. He landed on the floor hard, but thankfully on his feet.

Warily, he stared up at her, slightly crouched like a bird ready to fly. Aqua stared at him, confused, almost curious.

"Something wrong, Ven?" she asked.

He stayed tense for a moment more, then relaxed. "Yeah," he said hoarsely, not sure if he wanted to hear her response.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "You seem a little flustered."

She bent over and placed her hand against his brow to measure his temperature. He went still. Aqua . . . Aqua used to do those kinds of things before, back before Xehanort and Vanitas and all of this came along.

She must have been stunned when he leapt at her. He wrapped his arms around her tight, terrified that if he loosened his grip even a little, she would slip away and be replaced by the _other_ her.

"Ven?"

He couldn't help but murmur, "Don't go."

"Uh, okay?" Carefully, she eased out of his death-grip. "Ven, what's this about?"

He sniffled, and said nothing. Where was he supposed to begin? How was he supposed to explain to her that sometimes, it seemed like someone else was in control?

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked again.

"Yeah," he said. He wiped his eyes. "Sorry, about that."

She wasn't exactly frowning, but whatever was on her face, it looked close to one. "Are you sure?"

He said in a stronger tone. "I'm fine."

She fidgeted. "If you say so."

Some awkward moments passed before Ven's nerve broke. He made it five steps, was just a foot away from the exit when her arm whipped out. Her hand clamped down on his shoulder.

"Going somewhere?"

He looked up, and knew that he had lost her again.


	45. Illusion

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Illusion**

Frowning, Terra tried the doorknob. It was locked. Still. Had been for ten minutes now.

Inside the room, he heard Aqua shut off the tap. Foot tapping, arms crossed over his chest, he plastered a stern scowl on his face and waited.

She opened the door soon after, and was treated to a wonderful sight of Terra frowning down at her. Staring at her, he raised his eyebrows and then checked his invisible watch.

"There are other washrooms," Aqua said.

He shrugged. "I have to go up a flight of stairs to reach them," he said. "Plus, all my stuff is in here."

"It's your fault: you were the one who decided to share with me."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I know. Anyways, now that you're done . . ."

He tried to step past her and into the washroom, but she planted her feet, blocking him.

He blinked. "Are you honestly not done yet?"

"I . . ." She glanced behind her. When she faced him again, she was chewing her lip nervously. "Uh, I guess I'm done."

"Great."

They stood there, staring at each other.

Finally, Terra asked, "So, can I go in?"

Her pupils narrowed. For a second, he thought he was seeing someone else, like the Aqua before him was just an illusion. "I guess."

Before she could change her mind, he muscled her out of the way (nicely, of course!) and stepped inside. He closed the door, but not before he caught a glimpse of her alarmed face.

Honestly, even after all these years, he didn't understand her.

Still, as he stood there alone in the washroom, with only the dripping of the faucet to keep him company, he felt like he was standing in a crypt. A cold breeze tickled the back of his neck at that thought, but he soon discovered the culprit to be an open window. He shut it, and in response, the shower curtain stopped wriggling.

He didn't move away from the window. Aqua's hesitation, it bothered him much more than he was comfortable admitting. In light of her recent transformation, it shouldn't be that big of a deal. But it was. He had seen something there in her eyes, in the way she held herself; that warrior-side of him that the Master had so painstakingly sculpted had detected something it didn't like, and now it was alert.

But what?

He scanned the sink. There was nothing though, nothing but a few drops of water clinging to the sides.

And that was a clue, he realised. There was _nothing_.

She had cleaned it.

But why? He went through the options. She could have been sick, but he would have probably heard it while he was waiting outside then. She could have been covered in dirt or something. He doubted that however, since there was no reason for that to be a secret. But if not those, what else? What else would she need to clean so immediately –

It hit him.

Blood.


	46. Family

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Family**

He probably looked like a maniac, snatching up the trashcan and spewing its contents all over the floor. Mostly, there were tissues and candy bar wrappers, the latter of which were almost guaranteed to be Ven's. Mouth a grim, thin line, Terra shifted through the garbage with his keyblade (because there was no way he was going to touch any of that stuff!). He wasn't sure what he was looking for, what he would find, but he was sure he would find _something_.

Alas, that assumption was proven false. Terra pushed the trash back into the can, and grimaced as a headache started to knock on his skull. Okay, so Aqua had taken steps to clean up any evidence. He needed to backtrack then, consider what could have led to –

Ven. She had been with Ven this morning. Even if the younger boy didn't know what had happened, at least he could narrow down the time of the incident.

On his way to Ven's room, it occurred to Terra that he hadn't seen Ven today. Nor had he _heard_ him. And that was much more worrying.

Thankfully, Ven was in his room, and when Terra opened the door to find him shirtless, he was convinced that he'd walked in on Ven changing. But then he took a closer look, and it became obvious that wasn't true. For as imaginative and agile as Ven was, Terra didn't think he could change while simultaneously sobbing into his pillow.

Terra sat down next to him and rubbed his back. "Hey, you okay?"

Ven's breath hitched. He didn't take his face out of his pillow. "Go away."

Terra said flatly, "No. Now, tell me what happened."

Ven shook his head and though the situation called for a gentle hand, Terra couldn't contain his frustration.

"That wasn't a choice!" Terra's shout echoed through the room, leaving him feeling oddly empty.

_Well, that was smooth_, he thought, dragging a hand through his hair. "Ven, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. I . . . I just want to help and you two . . . neither of you will tell me _anything_ and you're hurting and I don't know _why_."

He snuck his hand under Ven's chin, and forced the boy to look at him. "Ven, please. We're family. I'm supposed to look after you guys and make you feel better, but I can't when you refuse to trust me!"

Ven sobbed even harder. Without warning, he latched onto Terra's neck. Lips an inch away from Terra's ears, Ven whispered, "She's burning it in her room."

Terra's eyes widened. Though he hated to leave Ven alone like this, he knew he had to investigate.

He burst into Aqua's room, finding her burning something, just like Ven had claimed. He shoved her aside and extinguished the fire with a well-placed Blizzard spell, leaving behind a heap of burnt material, but material that wasn't burnt enough.

With shaking hands, he picked up Ven's bloody shirt.


	47. Breaking the Rules

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Breaking the Rules**

Ven's shirt was clenched in his hand like a limp rag. It was all he could see, that and Aqua watching him from the other side of the room. It took twenty seconds before Terra stopped shaking enough to let the shirt unravel. With a dull rustle, the bottom edge rolled off his fingertips, falling until the shirt was at its natural span. Ven's normally black and white shirt was mottled with dark, red patches that bloomed outwards. An alarmingly big one was located at the collar, as if the shirt's owner had had his throat slit.

Terra finally pried his gaze away. "Aqua, y-you . . ."

She grimaced and rubbed the back of her neck, which in his opinion, was a massive under-reaction. "We were training," she said. "It . . . things went wrong."

She said that last part softly. And he just stared at her, speechless.

But it wasn't her confession that had rendered him mute.

He was speechless because he knew she was lying through her teeth.

"Liar," he whispered.

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"Liar," he repeated. His voice was neither a whisper nor a growl, but something between. "Ven wouldn't lose this much blood during training, not with us. Never with us. Me and you are the only ones who are ever injured this badly, and only when we're training together, and only because we don't hold back. But Ven? We _never_ go full-out on him!"

It was terrifying how subdued her reaction was. She merely cocked her, studying him.

He swallowed. "You did this on purpose."

He drank in the sight of her as he waited, desperate for her answer, to hear her shout at him for making such a terrible accusation, to hit him for even daring to think that. But what he heard was nothing, what he saw was nothing. Her face was blank, like someone had reach in and plucked out her soul.

"Who are you?" he asked, and he meant it because he couldn't recognize the girl in front of him. This couldn't be Aqua. Yes, Aqua was fighting against her darkness, but the darkness wouldn't make her act like this. He knew, because he had gone through the same thing. Sure, he had broken the rules a lot during that time, but he had _never _done anything like this here. _Never_.

"Who are you?" he asked again, throat hoarse and dry.

She walked closer. "Terra, relax-"

"_DON'T TELL ME TO RELAX_!" In that instance, his rage overtook him; in that instance, he forgot who she was. He slammed her up against the wall, and drove his arm into her throat to pin her.

Before anything else could happen, a voice whispered, "Terra?"

Terra tore his eyes away from Aqua to look at the doorway. Ven was standing there, eyes puffy and red.

He backed off. "Ven . . ."

A sickening squelch interrupted him.

Terra blinked, and then looked down at the keyblade sticking out of his stomach.


	48. Childhood

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Childhood**

He had heard Terra's shout first, but it was Ventus's wail that sent a cold shiver down his spine. Master Eraqus burst out of his room, Master Keeper materializing mid-stride, ready to face down whatever danger plagued his students now.

But though his mind was hardened, his soul ready to confront this newest nightmare, the scene he walked in on still shook the foundations of his world itself. Terra, dear Light, Terra was on the floor, a familiar keyblade embedded in his abdomen. Ventus was there too, standing over him, keyblade held within trembling hands. And the figure he stood against, the one who had injured Terra so, was not a monster, or Xehanort or even Vanitas.

It was Aqua.

"What have you done?" Eraqus said.

Aqua backed up. Her face twisted in regret. But not remorse, not that.

He couldn't believe it, that the girl he had raised from childhood would come to this. That things could have come to such a horrifying close. But there was no denying it now, not when Terra was spluttering on the floor, or when he was looking Aqua in the eye. There was nothing there he recognized, no shadow of her former self.

She wasn't his student.

She couldn't be trusted.

Not anymore.

He pointed his keyblade at her. "Hold your hands up where I can see them."

"Master, what are you doing?" Ventus cried.

"Get out of my way, Ventus."

And Ventus _listened_. That was how bad things had gotten, that the youngest apprentice was willing to stand aside as his Master went after one who had once been their own. Aqua backed into a wall, her stance reminding Eraqus of a suspicious fox.

"Hands up, _now_!" he barked.

She obeyed and raised them . . .

Only to summon her keyblade back from Terra's gut and swing.

He blocked the whip-like shockwave that her keyblade emitted, and then lashed out with a blast of his own. She ducked to the side swiftly. She had always been fast, but never the fastest. He swept forwards, gliding across the wooden floor, swinging his keyblade in an uppercut, missing her by an inch.

He swung. Master Keeper carved a thick groove into the wall, but Aqua had moved out of range. Despite that, he could read fear on her face now, fear that only sharpened when he slammed his keyblade against hers.

"You made a very poor decision," he said coldly.

Her arm jumped as she panicked. She pushed away from him, and he made to follow-

Only to pause as a swirling black vortex opened not far from her.

She dove for the portal and he planted his feet, pointed his keyblade, _aimed_ –

He relaxed as the spell hit, just a moment before she disappeared into the darkness.

"Master!" Ven blinked furiously. "S-she got away."

"Don't concern yourself over that," Eraqus said.

"Don't? Did you let her get away?"

"Don't worry," he repeated. "Come now, we must get Terra to the infirmary."


	49. Stripes

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Stripes**

She wasn't entirely sure where the portal spat her out, but wherever it was, it was far out of harm's way. The trees around her were tall and ancient, black bark glistening from a recent rainstorm. The tracks of some giant creature were splattered in the mud, but by the sounds of things, the being had long since passed.

The low croak of a toad echoed. She had a sudden sense of solitude, like she was the only sentient being on the world. Of course, that was probably a gross exaggeration, but for all extents, it may have been true. She was alone. She'd burned her bridges with Terra, Eraqus no longer wanted her, and Ven . . .

She swallowed back the sour taste of regret. To think, she'd only had to lose her temper _once_ . . . he shouldn't have pushed her so far anyways. That said, even she could see that she had taken things too far with him. Much too far. And now she was paying for it.

But that was the past. What she had to worry about now was: what would she do now?

That . . . that was rather cold, wasn't it? The obvious answer to that question was yes; she knew it, anyone with a brain would know it. But honestly? She didn't really care. She regretted abusing Ven so badly, but Terra, Eraqus? Well with Eraqus, she hadn't had much of a choice. And Terra had been threatening her. It was only logical that she launched a pre-emptive strike.

And if she was completely honest with herself, she didn't so much regret hurting Ven as she regretted getting caught.

(Because really, in the end, the only person she should be concerned about was herself).

Regardless of her feelings, the question still remained of what to do now. She thought she would have been okay with wandering the worlds, but there was the possibility that Eraqus would come after her. True, he had let Xehanort be, but she suspected that she had crossed a more important line with him, that her betrayal had struck deeper. She could very well be in danger.

She needed help.

And there was only one person she could ask.

But how to find him . . . Last time she had seen Xehanort, it had been on the beaches of Destiny Island. Maybe he was still there.

She summoned her glider, stepped aboard, but didn't move. It could take her days to fly there; why not take a faster way?

It took her a long time to figure out how to summon that portal again; it didn't feel natural to her. And staring into its depths, at the stripes of black and purple swirling within, frightened her more than she cared to admit.

_Darkness leads to destruction_, Eraqus whispered in her ear. Perhaps that was true, but perhaps it was not.

Besides, it had saved her once already.

She steeled herself, and then walked inside.


	50. Creation

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Creation**

The beaches of Destiny Islands were quiet; the air, more so. Apart from the steady lapping of the waves, there was scarcely a sound to be heard besides her own pulse. Her steely eyes looked up and down the long expanse of sand. She was alone.

Nearby, there was a palm tree bent at the trunk, so that most of its height ran parallel to the ground. She took a seat upon that part and waited, feet kicking in the air.

But what was that she saw? Out in the waves, there was a small bobbing shadow. No, not a shadow, but a boat, a rowboat, with two paddles working furiously. From here, the two figures aboard were blurry, perhaps creations of her imagination.

Alas, that last thought was proven wrong. The rowboat hit shore and two boys jumped out, one dragging along a rope which he used to secure the boat to a tree. And their eyes ran up and down the shore, as hers had, finally settling on the stranger upon their island.

One of the boys ran right up to her. He was a brunet with bright blue eyes, similar to another pair she knew.

"Hi!" the boy said. "What's your name?"

By this time, the other boy, a slightly taller one with silver hair, had caught up. He took one good look at her, then said, "Sora, you shouldn't be talking to strangers."

Aqua fought back a frown, and decided she didn't like the second one.

Sora said, "I'm Sora and this is my best friend, Riku! Want to play with us?"

"Play with you?" she said carefully.

"Yeah!" Sora nodded eagerly. "You can be the princess?"

_The princess_? She raised her eyebrows. "I'd rather not."

Sora drooped at the shoulders. "Aw."

"You could be the evil witch," Riku suggested.

She assumed Riku was just being rude, until Sora perked up again and begged, "Can you? Can you, please?"

She shrugged. "Fine."

Sora cheered and the boys ran off. She wasn't sure how, but ten minutes later, they were back with wooden swords and cardboard armour.

The game ran its course in an hour. By that time, Aqua still didn't like Riku. Sora, however . . . there was something about him. She felt connected to him in a way she hadn't expected, in a way she no longer felt towards Terra and Eraqus (and, dare she say, a way she felt connected to Ven . . . only without the obsessive, morbid fascination). It was strange.

"Bye, Aqua!" Sora said, backpedalling towards his boat. He and Riku were ready to go home for dinner.

"Wait!"

Sora paused. "Yeah?"

"I . . ." She stopped, not knowing what to say. She just . . . Sora was the only person she had felt anything positive towards for a while, and she wasn't looking forwards to losing that.

With a strained smile, she said, "Be careful."

She turned away, and waited for Master Xehanort to find her.


	51. Sport

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

* * *

**Sport**

"You have come," Xehanort said.

"I have," she said.

She stood face-to-face with Master Xehanort in the moonlight. The sand was cold under her feet, and the ocean's surface glittered like a field of diamonds. A wayward breeze disturbed her hair, pushing a bang over her eyes, and she dutifully wiped it away.

Hands clasped behind his back, Xehanort prowled towards her. Although he was hunched and aged, she suspected that if he wanted to, he could move faster than she could. His yellow eyes focused on her, seeming to peel back her skin and examine what was left behind. But she stood strong, despite her fluttering stomach.

"It's about time," Xehanort said. "I have been waiting a very long time for you to seek me."

That wasn't what she had expected to hear. Dryly, she said, "I'm sorry that I took so long to offend Eraqus."

"That . . ." He looked at her, startled. "How should that be of any relevance?"

"How?" She stared back at him. "Because that's why I'm here. Because I made a sport of hurting the boys, and now Eraqus wants my blood."

For a few moments, Xehanort was silent. Then, in a tone dripping with disbelief, he said, "You? Why are _you_ here?"

"I just told you!" she said, annoyed.

He ignored her. "You shouldn't be here. _He_ should have seized control by now."

"What are you talking about?" She took a step back. Xehanort's posture suddenly appeared a lot more threatening.

He smirked. "Congratulations, Aqua," he drawled. "It appears you were stronger than either of us gave you credit for."

Rainfell flashed into her hands. "Enough with the riddles! Are you going to help me, or not?"

"Of course," he said soothingly. "Although I must ask what it is you seek assistance with."

"Master Eraqus," she said. "He's after me, and I'm not sure how to handle it." She gave no more details, not fully trusting the man.

"You could come with me," he said.

Her previous misgivings about Xehanort flared. "No," she said. "That won't be happening."

"Pity." He started walking again, etching out a narrow circle around her. "Though it is probably for the best. You are strong, Aqua, no doubt, but ill-suited for my needs. For those, I would require Vanitas."

_Vanitas_. The name evoked memories within her. Yes, Vanitas . . . he had been the stranger that attacked Ven and her. She knew Xehanort had known him, but was this some sort of confession on his end? Was Xehanort admitting he had worked with Vanitas?

"You sent him," she said.

But he replied, "I did not. He attacked you of his own accord, against my wishes, actually. It appears however, that things worked out for the best . . ."

He disappeared in a violet flash. Just like that. Surprised, she lowered Rainfell and looked around. Nothing. She turned –

Xehanort's keyblade sunk into her chest.

"Sorry, Aqua," he said, "but you are not the one I need."


	52. Deep in Thought

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

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**Deep in Thought**

He hurt. Everywhere.

Every time Terra breathed, it was like someone had spilt hot tea inside his abdomen. It throbbed weakly, almost like he was hungry, but pulled on the edges of the site as if about to collapse on itself. Although Master Eraqus may have healed the wound long ago, that didn't mean his ordeal was over yet. General magic took care of the danger, of gashes and broken bones and ripped organs, but just that. For pain, for bruises and scars, you needed a specialist in magic.

And unfortunately for him, their specialist in magic was the one who had wounded him.

Terra coughed, then groaned as the vibrations of that simple actions turned to fire. They started at his stomach, then spread outwards, jumping along his flesh like arcs of lightning. Something cold and damp suddenly landed on Terra's forehead, and he cranked open an eye to stare at a worried Ven.

"Ven, I don't need that," he said.

"Sorry." Ven obediently removed the wet cloth.

He considered sitting up, but the pain quickly dissuaded him from that. "Where's the Master?"

Ven shrugged. "I don't know. He said he would be gone for a little while."

"Gone, huh?" Terra sighed. "Hopefully, he's gone off to one of those modern worlds to pick up some painkillers."

At Terra's silent admission, Ven's eyes widened. "Does . . . does it hurt that much?"

Terra grinned wryly. "Well, I was just stabbed in the stomach, Ven."

"Why?" When Terra looked at him funny, Ven squirmed and said, "I just don't get it. Why would she do that to us?"

"I wish I knew," Terra said quietly, honestly. "Nothing's been the same about her since Vanitas."

Ven scowled and plucked at Terra's sheets. "We don't even know where he went. Or why he came."

"No, we don't." Terra grabbed a mug from the stand next to his bed, and took a sip. The cool liquid trickled down his throat, and it seemed to plug a bit of the hole in his heart.

Ven peered at him. "What are you thinking about?" he asked.

Terra blinked. "Nothing, really."

"Seriously? But you have your 'thinking face' on," Ven said, gesturing at his own face.

"My thinking face."

"Yeah!" Ven wriggled in his seat. "Aqua told me about it! Your forehead gets crinkly, and your eyes sort of close like you're squinting, but you're not actually squinting, just deep in thought."

"Sorry, Ven." He placed the mug back. "But I wasn't thinking about anything."

_But maybe I should_. He mused over the idea in his mind. He should be doing something other than waiting here, and whatever it was, it couldn't be physical.

"Ven, I need you to get something from the Master's office. He should have a folder somewhere labeled 'Xehanort's Reports'."

Ven looked uncertain, but he obeyed anyways. Terra watched him go as a chant droned through his mind.

_There has to be an answer somewhere in there. There _has_ to be._


	53. Keeping a Secret

**I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney.**

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**Keeping a Secret**

She awoke, cold and sore. She was on a glass circle suspended in a black sky, and recognized it instinctively as her heart. Knowing that, she relaxed. If she was here, Xehanort hadn't killed her.

But clearly, he had done something.

Her shoes squeaked as she stood. All around the edges of the floating disc, an orange force field rose high into the sky, encasing her within. She touched it, sent a pulse of magic into it, and received enough of a shock back that she yelped and withdrew her hand. It was strong, whatever this power was.

Now, the question was whether it was meant to keep something out, or something _in_.

Disturbed, she turned her eyes away and cast her vision over the glass. On one half, her half, there was an image of herself. Nearby, were three small circles that she knew should have held a picture within. But only one did now. One circle held a picture of Ven's face, and the other two were ruined. It looked like some monster had come along and scratched and gnawed upon those images until they were unrecognizable.

And on the disc's other half? There was one image there, and it was of a person who most certainly had no reason to be there . . .

"Vanitas," she hissed, her hands balling into fists.

A beat passed. Then something in the air shifted –

"We finally meet."

She went rigid. On the other side of the disc, the side with his image, Vanitas had suddenly appeared. He wore no mask this time, and his golden eyes roved over her face. He prowled towards her, stopping right at the center of the disc, right before he would have crossed the line separating his half from hers.

"I didn't think I would actually see you here," he remarked.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded. "Why are you here? _How_ are you here?"

His head cocked to one side, like a curious puppy. "Do you know where we are?"

"Of course," she said. "This is my heart –"

"_Our_ heart."

She hesitated. "What?"

He spread his arms out, gesturing to all around them. "_Our _heart."

The moment he said that, she knew it was true. Yet, part of her still denied it, and she croaked out, "That can't be; it's not possible!"

Vanitas laughed. "I bet my old Master thought that, too. Yet, here we are."

She stepped back. "How long?"

"A while," he said. "Since the day we first met. Sorry, I didn't mean to keep it a secret."

"You . . ." A thought hit her. "Are you the darkness Eraqus sensed within me?"

"You could say that."

"Then you . . . you made me hurt them!"

"I didn't make you do anything!" he snapped. "That was all you, Aqua."

"That's-"

He cut in. "Do you feel guilty about doing it? Do you?"

She said nothing, and for both of them, that was as good as a confession.

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**Review Response:**

**Dawn: Yay! New people :D And thank you! I hope I do too!**

**In regards to the Xehanort reports, there won't be anything too specific :(**


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